The Only Two In The Room
by Dragonball X Avalon
Summary: Natasha Romanoff and Clark Kent never believed they could find love. She had done too many things, taken too many lives. He had brought pain and suffering to those he cared for. All of that would change when their eyes met, and they were the only two in the room.
1. Chapter 1

**Natasha Romanoff and Clark Kent never believed they could find love. She had done too many things, taken too many lives. He had brought pain and suffering to those he cared for. All of that would change when their eyes met, and they were the only two in the room.**

Natasha Romanoff sighed as she prepared for her first class, still unsure if she was doing the right thing. Teaching wasn't her strong suit, not unless the lesson involved sneaking past an enemy or eliminating a target. Teaching Russian to high school students was not something she would have ever imagined herself doing, and especially not in a small town in the middle of nowhere Kansas. The place was called Smallville for goodness sake! However, despite the name and admittedly strange events that took place there, it was also what Natasha needed most. Somewhere where she wouldn't be recognized by most people, someplace that was far away from the shadow cast by the Black Widow.

She remembered she had told Steve that she needed to find a new cover, but if she was honest with herself she didn't want a new cover. She wanted to find out who she was, if she had a chance to be someone besides the Black Widow. Oh she knew that she could have disappeared anywhere in the world, and she had been tempted to go much further than Smallville, Kansas. However, she had decided to come to Smallville, wanting to see a piece of the planet she had been fighting for, and just maybe, find some peace for herself.

The sound of the bell broke her out of her thoughts, and Natasha sighed before allowing her face to slip into an expressionless mask. Let the madness commence.

"Hey Clark, I hear the new teacher's a total babe." Pete said, and Clark chuckled while beside him, Chloe just rolled her eyes at Pete's words. However, Clark stopped laughing as soon as he walked into the classroom. Standing there in a black skirt and white blouse was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. With red hair that came down to her shoulders and piercing green eyes, their new teacher was most definitely a babe. For a moment she met his gaze, the young man having the strangest feeling, as though they were the only two in the room. But then that moment ended as she broke eye contact, and Clark moved to his desk, unsure what he was feeling.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to Russian 101. My name is Miss Romanoff, and I will be your instructor for the coming year."

Natasha was pleased that the vast majority of the students had almost no reaction to her name. Two of the students started when they heard her name, their reaction so small that most would not have noticed it, but years of training with the KGB and later with S.H.I.E.L.D. had made Natasha an expert at seeing things most overlooked.

Chloe Sullivan was no surprise. The editor for the school paper called the Torch, the young blonde seemed to constantly seek out trouble, and so too did her friend. Clark Kent. She had known about him for a couple of years thanks to her work on potential recruits for the Avengers Initiative. He had been one of the most promising, and the logical thing would have been to recruit him, or at least tell Fury. But something held her back. Something had stopped her from doing what was logical. Instead, she had destroyed any and all information regarding Clark Kent, believing that that would be the end of it.

Then again, she never expected S.H.I.E.L.D. to be compromised, never expected to end up in Smallville. And she most certainly didn't expect to lay eyes on Clark Kent. But the moment she did, it was as if they were the only two in the room. Then she broke eye contact, resisting the urge to shake her head. She didn't know what she was feeling, but she knew she didn't like it.

"Do you have a moment?"

His voice broke into her thoughts, and she resisted the overwhelming urge to look into his eyes. She wasn't sure how, but she knew if she did, if she looked into his eyes, then he would see everything. Her every sin would be laid bare, and he would despise her. And for some reason that unsettled her. She hadn't said two words to him, but for some reason the thought of his disgust filled her with a gut-wrenching terror that was even worse than the fear she felt during the Red Room program so many years ago.

"Only a moment." She replied, still keeping her eyes on her desk.

"I just wanted to thank you."

His words were so unexpected that she found herself looking up, green eyes meeting blue. And what she saw in his eyes surprised her even more. There was no disgust, no condemnation, no anger, no fear. Not even the lust that she saw in the eyes of every other male in her class. Instead, she just saw gratitude. Gratitude, respect, and dare she think...acceptance?

She didn't speak, just nodded in a silent acknowledgment. Clark smiled before turning and walking out the door, leaving a confused yet strangely hopeful Natasha Romanoff behind.

"Hey Kent, what's your deal?"

Clark sighed as he heard Whitney's voice behind him. He knew what the other boy wanted, but was in no mood to deal with him. Whitney would want payback for Clark talking to Lana, something that part of Clark could understand. But the larger part of him also acknowledged that he hadn't thought of Lana Lang the entire day, and even when he thought of her now he felt nothing. Oh, he could still see her as a friend, but any romantic feelings he may have had for her were gone. In fact, they had disappeared the minute he had laid eyes on Natasha Romanoff.

"Kent, I'm talking to you!" Whitney yelled, grabbing his shoulder and making him face him.

"What's going on with you and Lana?"

"Nothing. We're friends that's it." He replied, resisting the urge to forcibly remove the other boy's hand from his shoulder.

"But that's not enough for you is it? You wanted her for yourself." Whitney pressed, and Clark shook his head even as he saw that he was in trouble. Lana's meteor rock necklace was around Whitney's neck, and unfortunately for Clark, the quarterback had realized what Clark was looking at.

"You like her necklace? Good, then you can have it. It's as close as you're ever going to get to her."

Clark groaned in pain as the necklace was forced on his neck, barely feeling two of Whitney's friends pick him up. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was Whitney telling him he was this year's scarecrow.

When Clark opened his eyes several hours later, he noticed two things almost immediately. The first was pain. The meteor rock necklace around his neck was slowly killing him, and given that he was tied o a post he was unable to remove it. Then there was the fact that he had been stripped down to his boxers. Aside from being embarrassing, it also meant that the cold spread through his body all the faster. Swallowing his pride, he did the only thing he could. He called for help. Or rather, he groaned as that was all he was capable of at the moment.

"Help me."

Natasha stopped her car as she heard the voice, racing through the cornfield. She couldn't explain it, but for the last several hours she had felt that something was wrong. More specifically, that Clark was in danger. Unfortunately, her instincts proved right as she found him tied to a post, a meteor rock necklace around his neck. Ignoring the fact that he was clad in just his boxers she quickly undid the knots and helped him down, throwing the necklace away.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and he nodded, feeling strength begin to return to his limbs.

"Now that I'm free of that rock, I'm fine." He replied as he threw on his clothes.

"Who did this to you?" She asked, but he shook his head.

"It dosen't matter. It was just a prank."

"Bull."

"Excuse me?" He asked, clearly surprised by her anger. For her part, so was she. But the thought of someone tying Clark to a post, and leaving him to die sparked a fury within her that she had never felt before. Even when Clint had been nearly killed by Loki she hadn't felt the kind of rage she did now. The desire to find whoever had thought they could harm Clark, and use every skill she possessed to make them die in the worst way possible.

"This isn't a prank Clark. This was torture." She told him once she believed she had gained enough control to speak.

"Maybe, but what's done is done. Besides, something tells me if you go after them you'll kill them, and I would rather you not go to jail, which is what will happen the minute they run your name through a database." He told her seriously, and she sighed, but nodded in acquiesce to his request.

"Fine. But at least let me give you a ride." She told him, and he nodded seeing that she wasn't going to budge on this.

"So I guess that's two I owe you." He said once they were in the car.

"I owe you one too. You could have told everyone who I was. Your friend Chloe still could." She said, but Clark shook his head.

"Chloe won't. I already told her to keep it to herself."

"Why?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"Everyone has a past. But that's all it is. Your past is no one's business but yours." He replied, and she smiled.

"Thank you. Now where should I take you?"

"Don't you have to chaperone the dance?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"I talked my way out of it, said I still had some unpacking to do."

"Do you?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"It'll keep till the weekend." She replied, but Clark shook his head.

"Let me help you. I'll be done in a couple minutes. Plus, it would be nice to not have to hide my abilities for once in my life." He told her, and she grinned.

"Alright, but under one condition. Unless we're in class, call me Natasha."

"I can't-"

"Clark, I know about your powers, and you know I'm a former assassin. I think that we can ignore formalities."

"Alright Natasha." He replied with a smile.

"Nice place." He remarked as he followed her into the two bedroom apartment just outside of town. It was close enough for her to get to the school every day, but far enough away that she didn't have to see any of the students she taught if she didn't want to.

"It's certainly better than some of the places I've been." She told him, grinning as she saw the boxes that had previously been inside the door disappear, Clark returning with one in his hand.

"I figured you'd want to put your weapons up yourself. Everything else is taken care of." He said, and she grinned before taking the box.

"Thank you Clark." She told him, and he nodded, understanding that she was thanking him for everything. Not just for the help unpacking, but for keeping her secret and for not prying into her past. He had more of a reason than most to want to know her secrets, but he didn't go looking even though he could.

"I'm glad I was able to help Natasha, but I should get going. I'll see you tomorrow." He said before turning towards the door.

"Dance with me?"

Her voice stopped him in his tracks, the young man turning just as the radio across the room began playing classical music. Thoughts of how if anyone found out he was doing this, about how he barely knew Natasha Romanoff, all those thoughts disappeared as his eyes met hers. Just like this morning it was like the entire world disappeared, and it was just the two of them. Before he was conscious of doing so he had crossed the room and taken her in his arms, neither of them saying a word as they danced to the music.

"You're a good dancer." Natasha said after a few minutes.

"My mother made me learn. Speaking of, I'd better get going before they start sending out the search parties." He said, his voice filled with regret. Natasha nodded, and he stepped back, seeing the regret he felt mirrored in her eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He told her, and she smiled before watching him disappear as though he had never been there in the first place.

Clark grinned as he walked through the door of his house, the grin quickly fading as he saw his parents standing there. His dad was scowling, and if his mother's glare was a laser it would cut through solid steel.

"Where have you been Clark? And don't say you were at the dance because we just got off the phone with Pete. He was worried when you didn't show, seemed to think you were in trouble."

"I was dad. Whitney saw me talking to Lana the other night, and he and his friends picked me to be this year's scarecrow. He was wearing Lana's necklace, so I couldn't stop him."

"And how did you get out?"

"Someone helped me out! What's the big deal dad?" Clark asked, feeling his anger rise at his father's questioning. However, even through his anger he knew he would never tell his parents about Natasha. His dad would flip, and his mom would be terrified that the government was going to come take him away. Her secret would be out before sunrise, and Clark couldn't allow that.

"The big deal son is that you are in danger. The big deal is that you have an assassin teaching you Russian!" His father said, throwing a large file on the table. The cover was blank except for two words.

_Natalia Romonova._

**A/N: I have gotten several request for a new Clark/Natasha story so here it is! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, and the next chapter will be up soon! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Where did you get this?" Clark asked as he looked at the file on the table. He hadn't moved to touch it, when in truth all he wanted was to tear it into nothingness. Natasha's past was just that, her past and no one else's. But the fact that his parent's had it meant that they were in danger. Or Natasha was. Clark knew that with her reputation she could have no shortage of enemies, enemies that he was sure would not hesitate to use his family to go after her. Whatever this was, it had placed people he cared for at risk, and Clark swore to himself that he would die before any harm came to anyone else he cared for. He had lost too much already. Before he could continue that train of thought his phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Did you receive what I sent you?"

"Who is this? What do you want with me?"

"I am a friend. All I want is for you to know who you are dealing with."

"I know all I need to know. Now whoever you are, listen carefully...back off. Stay away from me and my family, and stay away from Natasha Romanoff. She deserves her privacy."

"Some would argue that privacy-"

"Oh spare me the anti-government crap. Come near any of us again, and I will find you. When I do, I will turn your entire world upside down, and I promise you that you will never see it coming." He finished, slamming his phone shut before picking up the file.

"Son, do you-"

"Don't start dad. Natasha Romanoff defended this planet against an alien invasion, and a rogue SHIELD. That deserves some respect." He said, and then he turned and walked upstairs.

Hours later while Clark slept, Jonathan and Martha Kent remained awake discussing what these revelations could mean for them and their son.

"I don't like it Martha. I've read up on SHIELD. If half of what they say is true..."

"I know Jonathan, but Clark does have a point. Natasha Romanoff did help the Avengers save the world. I think for now we should give her the benefit of the doubt." Martha said, and Jonathan nodded.

"Fine, but if she comes after Clark then we will expose her."

"Got a sec?"

Natasha looked up, smiling as she saw Clark standing there. Her smile faded when he walked inside and placed a file on her desk, her blood turning to ice as she saw the name on the cover.

"I didn't open it. My parents did. It was sent to them. I convinced them to keep it quiet, and this is the only copy."

"Thank you. Any idea who sent it?"

"Someone called, and said they were my friend. They told me they wanted me to know who I was dealing with."

Natasha looked down, but Clark's next words had her looking into his eyes again.

"I told them to back off. They won't bother either of us ever again."

Natasha knew there was more to it than that, but at the moment she didn't care. She was just grateful that Clark didn't hate her.

"When I got in today I heard some people talking. Apparently a few of the football players found their cars stacked as high as a Christmas tree. Would you know anything about that?"

"All I know is what people say about payback." He replied, and she laughed both of them thinking the same thing.

Payback was a real pain.

"I'll see you later." He said, stopping when he felt her hand on his arm.

"Clark, is everything okay?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but just then the bell rang.

"Later." He said, and she nodded.

For the rest of the day Natasha found herself distracted, hoping and praying that Clark was okay. It was a relief when her last class ended.

"Mr. Kent, can you stay behind for a moment. We need to talk about the homework you handed in."

Clark didn't say a word, just stayed seated until everyone else had left the room.

"What's wrong? Is it my file? I'm sorry that-"

"No, that's not it at all. You've done nothing wrong Natasha. But I...I think I did."

Natasha hung her head, waiting for the ax to fall. He was regretting helping her last night, regretting dancing with her. If she was honest with herself, Natasha knew that she should regret what happened. She was his teacher, he was four years younger than she was, and she came with too much baggage. He was better off without her. But even knowing all of that she couldn't regret a single second that she had spent with him. Maybe she was crazy, but she also knew that she had never felt happier than she did the previous night.

"I...I killed a man."

Natasha's eyes widened in shock, unable to comprehend what he had just said. She must have misheard. There was no way that Clark Kent had killed anyone. He was too innocent, too good. He was the exact opposite of what she was. She was a killer, an assassin with a ledger that had so much red that she could never hope to wipe it out.

"I'm sorry Natasha I-"

"Clark, wait." She said, trying to stop him from leaving. He had obviously mistaken her silence for condemnation when nothing could be further from the truth. She walked over and sat beside him, turning so she looked him in the eye.

"Now tell me what happened."

"After our dance I went over to the school."

"Where you pulled a prank on Whitney and his boys." She said, fire clear in her eyes. While she wasn't going to go after them herself since Clark had asked her not to, something needed to be done about the Scarecrow tradition. While most people saw it as a prank, it could actually kill someone if the were left hanging for too long. If someone was left strung up in a cornfield they would eventually die of asphyxiation. Even the KGB had deemed death by asphyxiation as too extreme, and there hadn't been much that was too extreme for the KGB. She resisted the urge to shake her head as memories of her training resurfaced, returning her attention to what Clark was saying.

"When I got there I pranked Whitney. I was about to leave when I saw someone tampering with the sprinklers. His name was Jeremy, and he was the Scarecrow the day of the meteor shower. When the meteors hit, he was put in a coma. He woke up, and went after the football players who had picked him as that year's Scarecrow. He put them in the hospital, but revenge wasn't enough for him. He told me that he was doing this for everyone who had ever been a Scarecrow. He said it needed to stop."

"Well he's not wrong, but his methods are extreme to say the least." Natasha commented, and Clark nodded before continuing.

"The meteor shower also let him conduct electricity. He was going to soak everyone with the sprinklers and then he would electrocute them. I tried to talk him down, but he just wouldn't listen. We fought, and he threw me backwards. I picked up a board and swung it at him. It hit and...I sent him through a wall. I waited, and when he didn't come back out I went and checked on him. He was dead. The impact killed him. I...I know I shouldn't have ran, but if I waited for someone to find out what happened I'd have to talk to the cops. I was scared, and I didn't want to end up in a lab. I still am. I mean what was I supposed to do? I couldn't let him hurt anyone." He said, hanging his head in shame.

"You're a good man Clark. You tried to talk him down. You gave him every chance before you stopped him. Yes he died, but you didn't set out to kill him."

"How do you do it? How do you live with this?"

His tone was desperate and pleading, and Natasha felt her heart break as she listened to him. He shouldn't have to deal with this. Clark should be focused on football games and dances and throwing parties, not asking her how to cope with killing a man. But fate wasn't that kind to him. It hadn't been kind to either of them. Intentionally or not, both of them had become killers, both of them far too young. Then again, age didn't really matter. Your first kill was the worst. Natasha remembered her first kill all too well. He had been a traitor, or so she was told. Later, Natasha found out that the man she had killed had spoken out against the KGB. But at twelve years old, the Black Widow didn't ask questions. The seven years of training she endured had seen to that. She had walked up to him, and shot him point blank in the head. Natasha could still see the shock in his eyes when he died. The eyes that would haunt her until her dying day.

But Clark didn't need to hear about her first kill. He needed someone to be there for him, to be a shoulder to cry on, to tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Natasha had been given none of that. She had been given a single nod from her superior in acknowledgment of a job well done, and then she was off on her next assignment. Natasha promised that Clark would not go through what she did. He would not go through this alone.

"You remember that you didn't want to kill him. You remember all the people in the school last night. You saved them all."

"I just-"

His voice broke and tears began streaming down his face. Natasha didn't say a word. Instead she embraced him, holding him as he cried.

"Natasha I'm so-"

"Don't. Don't you dare apologize. Do you understand me?"

He nodded slowly, and she smiled softly.

"Good. Now give me your phone."

A moment later she handed it back, her smile broadening at his questioning glance.

"I'm speed dial three. If you want to talk or you just want company, you call me day or night. Or just show up outside my door."

"Thank you Natasha." He said with a smile. She smiled in return, thinking that she was the one that should be thanking him. Natasha had nearly given up hope that she could have a life without the Black Widow. But in less than forty-eight hours with Clark Kent that hope had been renewed more than she had ever thought possible.

**A/N: Thanks to all who have favorited, followed and reviewed this story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Luthor Mansion-5 p.m. 1 week later**

"So, what's the latest between you and the lovely Miss Lang?" Lex asked as he put the eight ball in the corner pocket, winning the third game of pool in a row. Clark laughed, and shook his head before walking over and getting a bottle of water from the minibar.

"It's not happening."

"Clark, giving up never accomplished anything." Lex replied, walking over and taking a sip of his own water.

"I'm not giving up Lex. I'm just not interested."

And that was the honest truth. Clark Kent had no romantic interest in Lana Lang. It wasn't like he hadn't had opportunities. He had saved her from Greg Arkin after all, and that would have been the perfect time to stake his claim for her affections. He just had no interest in having Lana as anything more than a friend.

"Oh? And who is it that has caused this sudden change of heart?"

"Sorry Lex. Some secrets aren't meant to be shared."

With those words he walked out, not seeing the dark look that flashed across his friend's face. Lex knew that Clark was hiding something, and if the Porsche currently sitting in the Luthorcorp subbasement was any indication, it was a lot more than the identity of some mysterious girl.

**Kent Farm-Three Hours Later**

"Well, this isn't awkward at all." Clark commented as he listened the sound of silverware scraping across plates. He had been nervous enough when his parents had asked him to invite Natasha over for dinner, knowing that the invitation was little more than an excuse for his mom and dad to interrogate the former SHIELD agent as to what her intentions were toward Clark. Well, that would be his mom's question more than his dad's. While Jonathan Kent would most certainly want to ensure that Natasha wasn't going to turn Clark over to some government agency, he would be even more concerned about making clear what would happen if she chose to threaten his son. And while Clark was grateful for his dad's concern, the idea of Jonathan Kent threatening Natasha Romanoff was laughable.

But Clark would have almost preferred the threats to what actually happened. Clark had greeted Natasha warmly when she had arrived, but the moment they walked into the dining room where his parents waited, the entire room grew as cold as ice. Aside from introductions, not a word had been exchanged for nearly an hour.

"Well I'm sorry son, but I've got a bit of an issue with a former KGB assassin teaching teenagers."

"And I have an issue with you judging me based on a scrap of paper. Now I came here hoping to bury the hatchet because I care about Clark, but that's obviously a mistake. If you'll excuse me I have some work to get done before tomorrow. Thank you for dinner Mrs. Kent."

"I'll walk you out." Clark said as Natasha stood up from the table, but the redhead just smiled and shook her head.

"I appreciate it, but I think I'll manage. I'll see you tomorrow Clark, and remember that if you need anything day or night..."

"I know Natasha."

She nodded and left, Clark rounding on his parents the moment the door shut.

"Are you kidding me? Are you KIDDING ME?!"

"Watch your tone young man." Martha said, but Clark just laughed. However when he spoke there was no trace of humor in his voice.

"I invited Natasha over against my better judgment, hoping that you would give her a chance. But instead, all you want to do is give her the cold shoulder and treat her like a threat all because of something you found in a piece of paper."

"Son, I understand that you like her, and that she's your friend but you're not in a position to be objective. You can't see this situation clearly."

"Let me tell you what I see dad. I see someone who saved the entire planet twice over only to be betrayed by the very people she was trying to protect. I see someone who had every chance to report me to her boss and chose not to. You don't know this, but I was supposed to be part of the Avengers. The only reason I wasn't recruited is because of the woman who just walked out that door. She had information about me, information that could have seen my secret exposed to the entire planet. But she didn't expose me. Instead, Natasha chose to bury anything to do with me. Now instead of being terrified that she's going to turn me over to the government, maybe you should be thanking her for keeping me safe."

Clark walked upstairs and climbed into bed, the stress of the last week ensuring that he fell asleep almost instantly.

"Do you want something to drink?" Natasha asked, looking completely unsurprised to find Clark knocking on her door at three a.m.

"Whatever you're going to have." He replied, and she nodded before turning around.

"Make yourself at home."

Clark sat down on the sofa, taking some comfort in the fact that he had someone he could talk to about what he was going through without that person thinking he was crazy. He only hoped Natasha wouldn't think he was weak.

"So I guess it's true what people say about Russian's and their vodka." He said when Natasha came back with two shot glasses and a bottle, setting the bottle on the table before handing Clark his glass.

She just smirked before downing the shot, Clark doing the same a moment later. The alcohol burned his throat, but he didn't show any outward signs of that fact.

"So, are you just trying to get me drunk and have your wicked way with me?" He joked as he watched her refill the glasses.

"Trust me, if I wanted to have my wicked way with you there are much easier ways to go about it." She shot back, trying to ignore the part of her that wanted to do just that.

Clark just smirked in response, trying to ignore the part of him that said he wouldn't resist if Natasha one day decided that she did want to have her wicked way with him.

"But no I'm not trying to get you drunk. Clint finally convinced me to talk about my nightmares a few years ago and for some reason the vodka helped." She replied, and he just nodded, not looking at her.

"You're not weak Clark." She said quietly, seeming to read his mind. He looked up at her, seeing the belief of what she had just said clear in her eyes.

"The person who can kill and feel nothing every single time is not a person. They're a machine. Now I'm not saying that I regret every kill I've done, because some of those people deserved to die. But others...others I will regret until my dying day." She told him, her mind once more going back to her first kill, seeing the shock in the man's eyes as clear as she saw Clark now.

"But Jeremy didn't deserve to die Natasha. He was just a kid that wanted to make sure no one else went through what he did."

His stopped for a moment and downed the vodka, the burn from the alcohol seeming to give the young man the strength to keep talking. Natasha silently filled the shot glass again, knowing firsthand how difficult it was for someone to talk about this.

"I can't sleep at night, and when I do pass out from sheer exhaustion I find myself back in that cornfield."

"_Let me go. Let me go...Please." Clark groaned as he felt the meteor rock chain grow tighter and tighter around his neck. He was tied so securely to the post in the middle of the cornfield that he couldn't even attempt to free himself. _

"_It's for your own good you know?"_

_Jeremy stood in front of him, covered in blood, a cold smile clear on his face._

"_You won't have to worry about killing anyone else."_

_With that he disappeared in a mist as red as the blood that covered his body, and Clark was left hanging there with the meteor rock chain tightening to the point where Clark felt he might die from suffocation. _

_A moment later, it seemed as though he had a sliver of hope. Natasha was walking towards him, but she stopped just short of where he was. _

"_This is the price you pay for killing a man Clark. You die alone."_

It had been five minutes since Clark had told Natasha of the nightmare that had plagued him for the last week and she still hadn't said a word. This was leaving Clark thinking that maybe he had made a mistake talking to her about this. That perhaps, despite her words from earlier she believed that he was in fact weak. Little did he know that nothing could be further from the truth.

Natasha didn't think Clark was weak. In truth, the fact that he was able to admit that he was having nightmares from killing a man made him one of the strongest men she had ever met. But his nightmare had touched on Natasha's greatest fear. The words that she had spoken to him in his dream terrified. Her greatest fear since she was twelve years old had been that she would die alone. Alone and unloved, because who could possibly love a woman who had so much red in her ledger? But then she looked up at the young man sitting across from her. He was looking at his shoes so Natasha was unable to see his face, but she remembered the look in his eyes when he gave her her file. A file that he had every right to open but still chose not to. All because he trusted her. Because for some reason that Natasha couldn't possibly begin to fathom, Clark cared for her. He had looked into her eyes, knowing full well that she was a killer, and he had still chosen to care for her.

"You're not alone Clark. I'm right here."

He looked up at her and smiled, prompting her to smile in return. And then, over four hours and a bottle of vodka Natasha found herself doing something she had only done with the man she considered a brother. She told Clark about her own nightmares, told him about her greatest fear. And he stayed and listened, his presence comforting her through it all.

That night, a bond was formed that would last for the rest of their lives, and have repercussions that Clark Kent and Natasha Romanoff could not even begin to imagine. That night two people made a silent vow. They would be there to help each other through everything, and they would never be alone again.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon! Also, if anyone is looking for another great Clark/Natasha story check out SHIELD Academy for a Kent by my friend Clean Writer 1987!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Miss Lang, better luck next time. Mr. Fordman, the same. Perhaps it would be better if you spent more time studying, and less time with your girlfriend. Miss Sullivan, well done. I'm glad some people can pay attention."

Then she came to Clark, their eyes meeting for a moment before she smiled.

"Excellent work Mr. Kent. Keep it up."

He just nodded, and Natasha continued on, critiquing some students and praising others, handing out the last exam as the bell rang for dismissal. The class walked out, leaving Natasha alone with her thoughts. Well, one thought in particular. A thought that gave her hope and also filled her with dread. She sighed, deciding she would talk to Clark about it later. In the end it would be his decision. Besides, she had another person she needed to speak to.

"Miss Romanoff, please come in." Principal Reynolds said after his secretary had announced Natasha's presence. She walked into the office, noticing the mahogany desk he sat behind, and the two wooden chairs in front of it. The chairs were placed in such a way that whoever sat in them was forced to look up at Reynold's. It was a classic tactic meant to make someone feel inferior. That, plus the lack of anything personal in the office only confirmed what she had already determined. Reynolds was a man who loved his power, and little else. Which would make what she was here to do easier than she thought.

"So, how has your first week been?" He asked after it had become apparent that she wasn't going to sit down.

"About what I expected. But I'm not here to talk about my week." She told him seriously.

"Then what are you here to talk about?"

"The Scarecrow tradition. It needs to end."

"Miss Romanoff...Natasha. You are not from around here. You don't understand what the Scarecrow is. It's a tradition that has been in place since before I was a student here. Asking the students to halt that tradition could cause a lot of problems."

"Then don't ask. Last time I checked, high school wasn't a democracy. As for any supposed problems you may have, I'm sure you can explain them away by citing student safety. After all, that is the truth."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow you. It's just a harmless prank."

Natasha sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Reynold's stupidity. He was more concerned about tradition than he was about people's lives.  
"I beg to differ. Tying someone to a post and leaving them to hang there overnight in nothing but their boxers is not a prank. It's torture and attempted murder. When someone is tied to a post they can die from prolonged exposure to the elements. Not to mention the amount of pressure that is being put upon them just to breath. It's more likely that someone will die of asphyxiation. Now tell me, what's more important? The people who will be upset because you got rid of a tradition or the people who will try and sue the school when someone ends up dead because of your so-called prank?"

"Point taken. I will address the issue. If there's nothing else?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"No. Thank you for your time." She said before walking out of the office. Now all she had to do was talk to Clark.

"Do mine eyes decieve me or is Clark Kent actually walking into the Torch?" Chloe asked from where she sat next to Pete.

Clark just laughed before sitting in the office's other chair.

"I'm sorry. It's been a busy couple days."

"Sure Clark. I think you've just been busy with a certain brunnete we all know." She replied, and Clark groaned.

"I'm not interested in Lana Lang."

"Bull." Pete broke in. "You've been in love with her since you were five years old."

"In my experience the people you loved when you were five years old aren't the people you love when you're in your teens and twenties." Natasha said from the doorway.

"Miss Romanoff. Something I can help you with?" Chloe asked, and Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the jealousy she heard in the blonde's voice. Chloe's infatuation with Clark was well known. In fact, the only person who didn't seem to know about it was Clark.

"No thank you Miss Sullivan. Mr. Kent, can I have a moment of your time when you're done here?"

"It would be my genuine pleasure." He replied, and she smiled before walking out of the room.

"What does she want with you Clark?" Chloe asked, and Clark shook his head.

"No idea."

"Well whatever it is, it can't be about schoolwork." Pete said, making Chloe glare at him.

"And just how would you know that?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense. It's not like he needs extra help in class or anything."

"He's still in the room you know? Anyway, I just came to drop off that interview you wanted Chloe. I'd better go see what our newest teacher wants."

"Whatever Clark." She replied, not looking up as he walked out. Pete just walked over and put his arm around Chloe's shoulders.

"You wanted to see me?" Clark asked where he stood just outside Natasha's door.

"I did. Come in."

He did so, choosing to stand across from her as opposed to taking a seat. Natasha raised an eyebrow, but didn't react otherwise.

"People are going to talk you know. If we keep meeting like this." He said, and she smirked.

"Let them talk. I could really care less what the majority of these people think of me." She replied, and he laughed.

"I get the feeling you didn't just want to chat. Otherwise you would've called or just shown up outside my door."

"You're right. Call me paranoid, but I didn't want to run the risk of someone listening in on our conversation. Which is likely to happen if we discussed what we're about to over the phone. As for showing up outside your door...well your dad would just love another reason to hate me." She said, and he just looked at her in confusion.

"I'm not making much sense am I?"

"Not really no."

"Okay. Well, I was thinking about our conversation last night, and I think I can help you control your powers so that you don't-"

"Kill anyone else?" He asked bitterly, and she just nodded, knowing that there was no point in sugarcoating it. Clark had killed someone, and neither of them could change that fact, much as they might wish to.

"Yes. You know what I'm capable of, who I was before I met you. I know how to fight, but more importantly, I know how to do it so that I ensure the outcome I want. If I wanted someone dead, I killed them. If I wanted them unconscious or immobile, I did that too. I can teach you to always get the outcome you want. You'll never have to kill anyone else again."

"The downside is that I will now be capable of doing so, even without my gifts."

"Exactly. And there's one other thing. Well, two really. If you're going to learn to fight, you need to learn to put your opponent down hard and fast."

"In other words, I inflict the maximum amount of damage possible without killing them." Clark said, and Natasha nodded.

"What's the second thing?" He asked, and she grimaced. This more than anything else was why she was hesitant about teaching him how to fight.

"There's a major risk if I teach you. The work you do putting these meteor infected away, it won't go unnoticed. Especially with what I am going to teach you. SHIELD and Hydra and goodness only knows who else, has an interest in people with skills and abilities. There is every chance that someone will come looking for you. They will want you to fight for them, and when you refuse, they will try to take you by force."

"Even SHIELD?"

"Even SHIELD. Fury appointed Phil Colson Director-"

"Isn't he supposed to be dead?" Clark interjected, and Natasha just smiled.

"Long story. I'll tell you some other time. Anyway, there are certain factions within SHIELD who won't like Fury appointing his number one man as Director. Those people will come after you. They will want to use you to gain control of SHIELD, and then wipe out whoever they consider threats to their agenda."

"I won't be anyone's weapon. I'll die first."

"It won't come to that. I won't let it."

"How do you propose to stop whoever comes for me? I don't want you hurt because of me."

"Thank you. I have some people who owe me favors. I'll make false I.D.'s for us so that if and when people show up to take you we can disappear."

"We?" He asked, and she nodded.

"We. You didn't actually think I was going to let you go on the run by yourself did you?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to the door and shut it before walking back over to her.

"Why?"

His question was so quiet she barely heard it. But she did, and it tore at her very soul. That one question, that one word was filled with so much pain. As if Clark couldn't begin to imagine why anyone would want to help him, as if he didn't believe himself worthy of her help.

"Why what?" She asked finally.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? You don't even know me."

"I could ask you the same question. Do you have any idea how much money you could get if you turned me over to Hydra? To the SVR? The Iranians would pay plenty. Come to think of it, so would every country in the world. With the possible exception of Switzerland."

"You're my friend. What other reason do I need?"

"That's why I'm helping you Clark. You're my friend."

For a moment the two of them were silent, both of them feeling as though they could get lost in each others eyes.

"So, that training you were offering...when do we start?"

"We just did."

**Kent Farm-6:00 P.M.**

"Our number's-"

"On the fridge, I know. Relax mom, it's only Metropolis. I'll be fine for a couple days. You and dad enjoy your anniversary."

"Clark, just...be careful okay?" His dad said, and Clark just nodded his head in response.

Thirty minutes after his parents left, he heard the front door open.

"You're early." He said as Natasha walked into the house, having traded her blouse and skirt for jeans and a gray t-shirt.

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. Would you like something to eat?" He asked, indicating the pasta that still sat on the stove.

"That would be great. Thank you." She said, and he just smiled before putting some pasta into a bowl, and topping it with some Parmesan cheese.

"This is really good. Did you make it yourself?" She asked, and he nodded.

"One of the benefits of growing up on a farm. I don't have any vodka but-"

"Water's fine." She said with a smile. He smiled in return before setting the glass beside her.

The two ate in silence, occasionally offering the other a smile. A few moments later they cleared the table and walked into the barn where Natasha began Clark's first lesson.

"Where's the best place to hit someone to take them out of a fight?" Natasha asked, and Clark was silent for a moment while he considered her question.

"That depends on their abilities."

"Very good. You just learned your first lesson. Never assume that every opponent can be beaten the same way. With your abilities, you have an opportunity to analyze your opponent. Take that split-second to try and determine their weakness. Then exploit it."

Clark nodded, and opened his mouth to speak only to shut it as he heard something in the loft above them. From the look on Natasha's face she had heard it too. Clark walked up the stairs, Natasha following silently behind him, the two coming to a stop in front of shaking bales of hay. Clark picked one up as Natasha grabbed the other, revealing a man who was shaking so bad he almost looked like he was on drugs.

"Earl?" Clark asked, recognizing the man as the farmhand Jonathan Kent had employed for several years.

"Clark...Need to see...dad."

"My dad's outta town Earl. Let me get you to a doctor."

"No...No Doctor...Need to get to Luthor...Level Three..Luthor."

"After we get you to a doctor." Clark said, reaching to help the man to his feet, only to be thrown into Natasha when he touched the man's arm. The two were thrown backward over the balcony that seperated the loft from the rest of the barn, Clark turning so that he landed on his back, holding Natasha to his chest.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked a moment later, brushing a strand of hair out her face.

"I'm fine. Quite comfortable actually." She said with a smirk, and he blushed before helping her to her feet. The two went back upstairs only to find that Earl Jenkins had disappeared.

"Well it dosen't look like he destroyed anything." Clark said as they walked around the barn a moment later.

"No, but I think our fall did." Natasha said, from where she stood. Clark cursed softly as he walked over to her. She was standing on top of a destroyed piece of tarp; a tarp that until a few moments before had covered Clark's spaceship.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Clark felt his blood turned to ice as he looked from Natasha to his spaceship and back again. Hundreds of possible excuses and scenario's for why he had a spacecraft in his barn ran through the young man's mind in the time it would take a normal human to blink. And he discarded each and every one of them just as quickly, knowing that she would never believe him. But more importantly, Clark didn't want to have to lie to Natasha, not when lying would cause him to lose someone who had become one of the most important people in his life.

"Well, this explains a lot."

Clark looked at her, shock clear on his face. Here he was with a spaceship in his barn, and Natasha seemed completely at ease.

"Don't look so surprised. I did my homework on you remember?" She asked with a smile, and Clark just shook his head.

"Even with you knowing about my powers, that still dosen't explain how you could make the jump from meteor infected to..."

"Alien?" She supplied, and Clark nodded.

"Actually, it was the only thing that made sense. You can't be killed by normal means, you're faster than anyone else on the planet, at least that I know of, and there's no telling just how strong you are without testing it."

"But I don't look...different to you?" He asked, and she shook her head before walking over to him.

"No. You're still the same Clark Kent I met that first day of class." She said before embracing him. They stood like that for a moment, both enjoying the feeling of the other person in their arms before they stepped back.

**10:00 P.M.-Kent Farm**

"So, you knew that guy?"

It was the first time they had spoken in nearly three hours, save for Natasha explain what Clark was doing wrong. For the last three hours, Natasha had been teaching Clark how to fight. Thanks to his near photographic memory, they had made rapid progress in just three hours. Rapid progress meaning that Clark could last more than four minutes without Natasha putting him on his rear. Some people would say Natasha was crazy attacking a man who could snap her neck like a toothpick, never mind the fact that he could do it before she could blink. But Natasha had her reasons; the first was because she was a firm believer in experience being the best teacher. The second was that if Clark could control his strength against someone with her skill set then he could control it against most anyone.

"Yeah. His name's Earl Jenkins. He worked as a farmhand for my dad for years until last summer when he got an offer to work at Luthorcorp. Better hours, better pay, and by then I could pretty much take care of the farm on my own."

"You mean he-"

"Knows about my abilities? No. You're the only person aside from my parents who knows about my powers. Even Chloe and Pete don't know. If they did...Pete would flip, and Chloe would splash my story across the front page of the Torch so fast even my head would spin." He finished, and Natasha frowned.

"Are you sure about that? They might surprise you. Chloe's kept her mouth shut about my past, and the Black Widow working with high school kids would definitely create some headlines." She replied, and this time it was Clark's turn to frown.

"I can't take that chance. Even if they accepted who I am...what I am...If anyone like Hydra or SHIELD came after them because of me I don't think I could live with that." He finished softly.

"They'll do that anyway you know. The minute they get wind of what you can do, your friends and family will become targets. In my training...we were told that attachment made us weak, that the ones who would survive were the ones who relied only on themselves."

"Sounds like a lonely life to live." Clark replied, and Natasha just nodded. It had been, but it had also been the only life she had ever known. Endless drills, screams and pain. Pain when she succeeded, pain when she failed. Pain was her one constant for over a decade. For years, she believed that pain was all she deserved. Even the one good thing that happened during her training was overshadowed by the pain of having it ripped from her. And as she sat next to the young man who was rapidly becoming her best friend, she had to wonder how long that would last. How long would Natasha Romanoff be allowed to hope that she was more than just an assassin? How long until Clark left her or was ripped away from her by some as yet unknown evil? The second would only happen when she was dead, but the first...Clark could leave her whenever he chose, and the logical part of her mind knew that he would be better off if he did just that.

But the other part of her, the part that she used to believe no longer existed, if it had ever existed at all...the part of her that wanted to be more than an assassin, the part of her that wanted someone to love and to love her in return...that part of Natasha never wanted Clark to leave.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, and Natasha smiled even as her head came to rest on Clark's shoulder.

"For the first time in a long time, I think I am." She replied, and Clark just smiled in return, the two of them spending the next several hours in comfortable silence.

**The following morning**

Clark opened his eyes, and immediately thanked God that his parent's weren't home yet. If they had come home and found the sight he woke up to Natasha's secret would have been out in less time then it took for Clark to do his morning chores. Natasha's head was on his chest, and his arms were around her waist.

"You're awake."

"Yeah. Sorry if I-"

"I'm a light sleeper. Spending enough time sleeping in places where people want to kill you will do that to a person." She replied, and he just shook his head.

"What I meant, is that I'm sorry we fell asleep." He replied, and she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not. That's the first good night's sleep I've had in a while." She told him, and Clark just smiled.

"Me too."

"Now as comfortable as I am, I need to head home. We've got that trip to the Luthorcorp plant today."

"How'd you get roped into it?" He asked, and she laughed.

"The person who was supposed to chaperone called in sick, so I volunteered. After last night, I'm glad I did."

"You think Earl's going to actually come to the plant?" Clark asked as the two stood up.

"With the way he was acting last night, I wouldn't be surprised. Whatever he was exposed to...I don't think he has long."

"Do you know what he was exposed to?" Clark asked, but Natasha shook her head.

"No. It's not like anything I've ever seen. Why, do you have an idea?" She asked, and he nodded.

"I could be wrong, but I think it's meteor rock. When I touched him, it hurt. As far as I know, that's all that can hurt me."

"That would make sense. Just be careful today." She told him seriously.

"I will be. Now, can I run you home?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Thanks, but I brought my car. I'll see you soon." She said with a smile before walking out of the house.

"Why are you so happy this morning? In case you forgot, we're going to the corporate empire of evil." Chloe said, but Clark just smiled. Pete laughed, shaking his head at his friend.

"Clark's happy for the same reason every other guy in this class is. Our new teacher volunteered to chaperone this trip." He replied, making Chloe shake her head.

"Speaking of..." Pete said, and Clark looked up just in time to see Natasha get onto the bus that was going to take them all to the Luthorcorp plant.

"Well, we'd better go get seats." Pete said as he headed toward the bus. Clark made to follow, but he was stopped by Chloe's hand on his arm.

"Clark, what's going on between you and our new teacher?"

"Nothing's going on Chloe. She's my teacher, nothing else." He replied, and Chloe snorted.

"Bull. Look Clark, tell me what you want...just remember that there's a reason she was called the Black Widow." Chloe replied before getting on the bus. Clark just sighed before doing the same, taking a seat beside Pete.

"You and Chloe okay?" Pete asked, and Clark nodded.

"Yeah Pete. We're just peachy."

**Smallville Luthorcorp Plant-12 P.M.**

"So ladies and gentlemen that is how we make the fertilizer, and no it's not radioactive." Gabe Sullivan said, making the class laugh at his poor attempt at humor.

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting?" Lex said as he walked into the room.

"Not at all. This is the class from Smallville High." Gabe said and Lex nodded, smiling as he saw Clark.

"Welcome to the most boring place in the world."

"Anywhere's better then being stuck in class." Pete spoke up, and Lex laughed.

"Is my class that boring Mr. Ross?" Natasha asked. Pete was saved from answering as Lex walked over to Natasha.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure. Lex Luthor."

"Natasha Romanoff." She replied, shaking his hand.

"Well, I hate to run but I have to get back to work. Enjoy the rest of the tour." He said, giving Clark a nod before walking out of the room.

"Well, let's continue on with the tour." Gabe Sullivan said before leading the class through the remainder of the plant.

They had just made it to the main control room when Earl Jenkins burst inside, gun in hand.

"WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS LEVEL THREE?" He yelled, pointing the gun at Gabe.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about. There is no level three." He replied.

"DON'T LIE TO ME! I know it's real! Every night for the last three months it happens the same way. I go past the red pipe, and take the elevator to level three!" He yelled, pistol-whipping Gabe across the face. As Gabe fell to the floor Earl turned his gun on the students.

"No one try anything stupid. I'll let you all go...Just as soon as I talk to Lionel Luthor."

**An Hour Later**

"Clark, we can take him. Just-"

"Don't be stupid. If you try something we could all end up dead." Natasha spoke up. In all honesty, she could have taken Earl down, but that would raise a whole lot of questions that she didn't want to answer.

"Earl's not a bad man. He just wants help." Clark said calmly.

"STOP TALKING!" Earl yelled, and the conversation instantly ceased, no one wanting to make Earl more upset than he already was. Lionel Luthor's lack of response certainly wasn't helping things. But only Clark knew that there wasn't going to be a response. He had heard Lionel talk to the police, and the billionaire was all for Earl coming out in a body bag. Then there was the fact that the pressure in the gas main was growing. If it wasn't lowered soon, the building would blow up or the police would storm the place. Either way, it was likely that someone would end up dead. Unless Clark stopped Earl himself.

"Show me Earl." Clark said as he stood up, keeping his hands raised.

"SIT DOWN CLARK!"

"You know me Earl. We've worked on my farm for years. And I know that you're not a bad guy. If you say level three exists then I believe you. If you show me where it is, I can back up what you tell Lionel Luthor. Everybody else can stay here. Just show me where level three is." He said calmly, and Earl nodded.

"Okay Clark." He said before leading the younger man out the door, locking it behind him.

"Kent's gotten him out, now we should go too." Whitney said, but Natasha shook her head.

"If we do that, and Earl gets spooked Clark could be killed. If Earl catches us, we could die. Now just sit down and be quiet." She said, her tone so serious that Whitney did just that.

Clark followed Earl down the hallway, past the red pipe and...to a blank wall. There was no elevator.

He could see Earl starting to shake, and Clark knew that this was his only chance to be sure that no one would get hurt. So he swallowed the disgust he felt at what he had to do, and he did it. Clark slammed his leg into Earl's kneecap, sending him to the floor before breaking his left arm at the elbow and kicking him in the side of the head, all the while ignoring the pain he felt from whatever Earl had been exposed to. Earl fell to the floor, unconscious but alive while Clark stumbled backwards as fast as he could, feeling his strength return the further away he got. He went to the beginning of the red pipe, and found the pressure gauge. Now Clark wasn't an engineer by any means, but he knew enough to know that the arrow pointing towards red was a bad thing. In this case, red most likely meant dead. So he placed his hand on top of the pressure gauge and twisted, watching as the needle slowly moved to point back towards green. He sighed in relief as he heard the police outside comment about the sudden drop in pressure. Crisis averted.

Well, one of them anyway. Now he just needed to figure out how to explain this to everyone.

**Fifteen Minutes Later-Outside Luthorcorp**

"So, I hear that you're the one I have to thank for stopping the criminal who took over my plant." Lionel said as he walked over to where Clark was standing with his parents. Clark glared at the man before looking over where the rest of his classmates were surrounded by their family. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Natasha standing by herself, looking none the worse for wear. If Lionel noticed her, he didn't comment, just waited for Clark to reply.

"Do you see all those people over there? All those kids who were held hostage? None of them were held by a criminal. We were all held by a sick man. A sick man who just wanted a cure to whatever it was you exposed him to."

"Now see here young man-"

"Dad, I think Clark's been through enough. Besides, he has a point. Earl Jenkins is a sick man. But he's also a Luthorcorp employee. Which is why we are going to ensure that he receives the best treatment available."

Given that the press was right behind Lex and had caught every word he had just said, all Lionel could do was smile and nod in response to his son's words. Lex saw the nod for what it was. An acknowledgment of a well executed plan. As well as a promise for retribution.

**Kent Farm-1 hour later**

"Son, there's one thing I don't understand. I talked to the medic's before they took Earl to the hospital, and they said he had a broken arm and a busted kneecap."

Clark just looked back at his father, not saying a word. Apparently he didn't need to.

"Clark, I don't know what Natasha is teaching you, but nothing could justify-"

"All Natasha is teaching me is Russian, and as for Earl's injuries...Broken bones heal. There's no coming back from a bullet to the head."

With those words he walked out of the house, leaving a dumbstruck Jonathan and Martha Kent behind.

**Luthor Mansion**

"Mr. Luthor, we did as you asked. But there's no trace of the security footage."

Lex just nodded, not turning his gaze from the fire. Something had happened to Earl Jenkins, something had caused the pressure in the plant to go back down. And Lex knew that Clark Kent was responsible. But he also knew that his friend would never tell him what he was hiding. Which meant he would need to find out another way. Thankfully, he had a plan.

"Find me everything you can on Natasha Romanoff."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, and the next chapter ****will be up soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Your dad started asking questions didn't he?" Natasha asked when Clark knocked on her door ten minutes after leaving the Kent farm. It was a rhetorical question, but Clark nodded nonetheless.

"He didn't really ask questions. He accused you of teaching me to fight, and then said that nothing could justify what I did."

Natasha closed her eyes and took a breath, resisting the urge to go and strangle Jonathan Kent. She knew that he didn't have any experience in dealing with a hostage crisis, but the same thing that allowed Natasha to understand his reaction also made her want to strangle him. He had no business judging Clark for doing what was necessary.

"He's wrong you know. You did what was necessary Clark. You saved all of our lives. You shouldn't have had to."

The last sentence was said so softly that Clark didn't think he was meant to hear it, but he did.

"Hey, don't say that. If you had stopped Earl then people would have asked way too many questions. Since I stopped him, people will think that some kid was trying to play hero. Besides, don't think I didn't notice the lack of security footage on the news." He told her, and she smiled.

"It was the least I could do. Although it's a good thing you stopped Earl when you did. Fordman kept wanting to try something. He even suggested that we try and make a run for it once you had gotten Earl out of the room. Idiot." She finished, and Clark nodded.

"He probably wanted to impress you." Clark replied, and she snorted.

"There's nothing impressive about amateur's nearly getting themselves killed."

"Does that mean you think I'm an amateur?" He asked softly.

"No. You know what you're doing. And you don't have to do something stupid to impress me." She replied with a smile.

"Are you okay Natasha?" He asked.

"I'm fine Clark. This was hardly the most dangerous situation I've ever been in. But thank you for caring enough to ask. It's sweet."

"Great, make me feel like I'm eight years old why don't you?" He said, and Natasha laughed while simultaneously looking him from head to toe.

"Trust me, I don't think anyone could mistake you for eight years old." She replied, and he blushed.

"I think you need to talk to Chloe." He said, and she just stood there, waiting for him to elaborate.

"She's concerned about you. She seems to think you're dangerous."

"I am dangerous."

"You know what I mean. She asked me what was going on between us."

"And what did you tell her?" Natasha asked, her face and voice betraying nothing.

"That you're my teacher. I mean I can't very well tell her that you're my best friend now can I?" He asked.

"You really mean that?" She asked, and he nodded.

"I do. Pete and Chloe... they're family, but there are some things that I can't tell them, things that they couldn't handle. With you...with you I can be myself. There are no secrets, no lies just..."

"Acceptance." She finished softly. He nodded, before he embraced her. Natasha leaned her head on his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. There was nothing sexual about it, but if anyone had walked through Natasha's door at that moment they would have thought they were interrupting a pair of lovers. For in that moment, there were no walls. Both were completely open, completely vulnerable, every secret, sin and desire laid bare. Natasha raised her head and looked into Clark's eyes, seeing her deepest desire reflected in his eyes. The desire to have someone to love and to be loved in return. All it would take was for her to lean up or for him to lean down. Just the smallest of movements that could fulfill the deepest desires of both of their hearts.

But as they looked into each others eyes, both knew that they weren't ready. It was too soon, their friendship too new. Neither wanted to rush into something and regret it later. Instead, both silently agreed to wait. They would wait, and allow their friendship to grow. Then when they were ready, Natasha Romanoff and Clark Kent would allow their desires to be fulfilled.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Natasha asked as she stepped back from his embrace, and Clark just smiled.

"I'd love to."

Two hours later Natasha was helping Clark to his feet, smiling with pride at his progress. In two days he had done better than most recruits did in two months. At this rate, he would be her equal in a matter of weeks. The thought caused her smile to fall from her face, something Clark was quick to notice.

"What's wrong?"

"That's just it. There's nothing wrong. In fact, you're doing better than any recruit I ever trained."

"And that has you worried."

It was a statement not a question, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Yes. It means that you'll wind up on someone's radar a lot more quickly than I first thought. Unless you want to stop being a hero?"

"You know I can't do that Natasha. The meteor infected are my responsibility."

She just smiled and nodded. She had known that would be his answer, and in truth she wouldn't have it any other way. His good heart and his need to put the lives of others before his own were some of his best qualities. Which made what she had to tell him even worse.

"When you wind up on someone's radar, we're going to have to run. We're going to have to disappear. Do you understand what that means?"

"It means keeping my friends and family safe." He said, and she smiled sadly. Trust Clark to see the best of the situation.

"It means that Clark Kent and Natasha Romanoff cease to exist. It means that we leave Smallville and don't come back. Not until whoever is looking into you is dead. It means that we cut all ties with our old lives."

"It means I never see my family again." He finished softly. She nodded, resisting the urge to take his hand. As much as she cared for him, as much as she wanted more than his friendship, she needed him to understand the gravity of the situation they would eventually find themselves in. Because she knew that they would eventually have to run. It was not a question of if they would have to run, but when. There were too many people who had an interest in people with his skills and abilities. As much as she wanted to believe that her friend would be able to spend the next decade or two on his farm, Natasha knew that wasn't the case. Eventually someone would get curious and then they would come for him. And it wouldn't be like when she went to find Dr. Banner. These people...Hydra, the imbeciles who believed that her old friend Phil Colson had no business running SHIELD, and General Ross just to name a few...these people would come with weapons and promises of death for Clark's loved ones when he refused to be a tool in their war. As she looked at her friend sitting beside her on the sofa, Natasha made a silent promise. Anyone who came for Clark would die, no matter the cost.

"I'll see you later Natasha. Thank you...for everything." He said before walking out the door.

**The Following Morning -Smallville High**

Clark shook his head as he climbed up the rope beside Pete, trying to ignore the headache that had been troubling him since he woke this morning. That in itself was strange. He never got headaches. He had never so much as sneezed before. He just sighed before continuing up the rope, writing his headache off as a one-time thing brought on by the stress of the last day and the nightmares that had visited him the previous night.

In addition to being tied up in the cornfield, Clark now found himself back in the Luthorcorp plant. Only this time he heard Earl scream as Clark struck him, followed by his father's voice, condemnation in every word.

"Nothing can justify-"

Clark shook his head again, willing the ghosts that haunted his nightmares to fade.

"Are you okay Clark?" Pete asked from beside him.

"I'm fine Pete. Just didn't sleep well that's all." He replied, without turning to look at his friend. In truth the last night he had slept well was when he had fallen asleep next to Natasha. However, he knew that couldn't become a regular thing. Not only would his parents start to ask questions, but falling asleep next to the beautiful redhead offered far too much temptation. He had looked into her eyes last night and seen his deepest desire reflected there. But it was too soon. Neither of them were ready to take that step in their relationship and so both had silently agreed to wait.

"Are you-"

"I said I'm fine Pete." Clark said, turning to glare at his friend. What he saw caused him to lose his grip on the rope. He wasn't looking at his friend. He was looking right through him. Clark could see every bone and organ in Pete's body, see every beat of his heart.

At least he could until he fell to the floor, silently thanking whatever God there was for his invulnerable skin. He lifted his head, looking up at the wall even as he heard Coach Walt and Pete asking if he was okay.

"Yeah...I'm fine." He replied, barely hearing the Coach tell him to go get checked out by the nurse. In truth he was anything but fine.

"Class dismissed." Natasha said as she heard her phone buzz. There was only one person who would be trying to talk to her and that was Clark. And if he was trying to call her during classes it meant that something had happened.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she answered her phone.

"Not really. Do you have a few minutes?"

"Sure why don't you-Come in." She finished as Clark opened her door.

"What happened?" She asked and he hesitated before he spoke.

"I kind of...looked through a wall." He finished weakly, making her raise an eyebrow. So now they could add enhanced vision to his list of abilities. But that still didn't explain why he was so nervous. Unless...

"What wall did you look through exactly?" She asked, and he blushed.

"The girl's locker room." He said and she laughed. He just glared at her, which made her laugh all the harder.

"I'm glad you find this so amusing." He told her, but she shook her head.

"I do, but not for the reason's you think. I just find it ironic that of all the men in the world to get x-ray vision it goes to the one man who dosen't want to abuse it."

"Well that's all well and good, but it dosen't matter if I can't control it." He said before proceeding to tell her what had happened when he was on the climbing rope.

"You'll get the hang of it. You just have to practice that's all."

"Any ideas?" He asked.

"A few. Tell me what's in here." She said, indicating the top drawer of her desk. Clark looked at the desk, shaking his head a moment later.

"Close your eyes and take a deep breath." She told him. He raised an eyebrow in question, but Natasha just looked at him. He sighed before doing as she said.

"Now breathe out slowly." She told him.

"Good. Now open your eyes and try again. But this time don't try to force it. Let it come naturally."

Clark focused on the desk drawer, the wood seeming to vanish underneath his gaze.

"You keep a Glock in your desk drawer?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"Old habits are hard to break. You didn't survive long in my former profession unless you kept a weapon within easy reach." She replied, and he nodded.

"You should get going. Your next class starts in ten minutes." She said and he smiled before heading out the door.

**The Torch-4 p.m.**

"I would knock, but your door was open." Natasha said as she walked into the office, shutting the door behind her.

"If you're looking for Clark, he's not here." Chloe replied without looking up from what she was doing.

"I came to talk to you actually." She replied, her words causing the younger woman to look up.

"Okay, so talk. What could the Black Widow possibly want with me?" Chloe asked.

"How did you find my SHIELD file?"

"It wasn't hard. After you released your secrets on the internet any halfway decent hacker could have found your file. It made for quite the read."

"You showed it to Clark?"

"Yeah...Turns out I shouldn't have."

"Because he made you swear not to tell anyone else?"

"No. I wouldn't tell anyone anyway. If I did I would most likely end up dead. I shouldn't have shown Clark that file because he thinks you're some kind of a hero. Either that or he just thinks you're hot." She replied, and Natasha smirked.

"But none of that would matter...Except that of all the places you could have gone you came here. And now Clark's infatuated with you."

"So is every other male in this school. What's your point?"

"My point is that he's a good person and I don't want to see him hurt. And with a name like the Black Widow, what else can you give to anyone but hurt? Now, if you don't mind I've got work to do." Chloe said, turning her attention back to her computer screen.

Natasha just walked out of the office, knowing two things with absolute certainty. First, that Chloe was wrong. Clark had shown her that she could be more than an assassin, more than the Black Widow. And second, that her hunch about Chloe Sullivan had been right.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Two Days Later- Luthor Mansion**

"So you rob banks now?" Clark asked as he walked into Lex's study, tossing a copy of the Smallville Ledger onto the older man's desk.

"Apparently so, but the three hundred people I was entertaining in Metropolis at the time might disagree. I hear that you saw what happened." Lex said, and Clark nodded.

"Yeah, and whoever the person I saw was, they looked exactly like you."

"Well now I'm really embarrassed. Someone tries to impersonate me and they only steal five hundred thousand dollars? The least they could do was make it an even million." He joked, and Clark laughed, accepting the bottle of water his friend offered him.

"So, Natasha Romanoff." Lex said a few minutes later as they started a game of pool.

"I have to admit Clark, if you had to find someone besides Lana-"

"Just stop Lex. There is nothing going on between Natasha Romanoff and I."

"Of course not. But you want there to be."

"You're delusional. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some stuff I have to do." He told his friend before walking out the door.

Lex just smiled as he watched his friend leave. Clark's denial had confirmed what he already suspected. He and Natasha were more than teacher and student. Which meant that it was likely that the young woman knew the secret to what had really happened on the bridge three months ago.

"Thompson, I have a job for you. I need you to find an imposter for me."

**Smallville High-The Following Day**

"Okay, does anybody else find that the least bit creepy?" Chloe asked, and Clark and Pete looked over to see Tina Greer looking like she was trying to be Lana's clone. She was wearing the same shirt and jeans, and she had even gotten colored contacts so that she had Lana's brown eyes as opposed to her own natural green.

"Tina passed creepy a long time ago Chloe. Right now, I think she's graduated to full blown stalker. I guess you've got some competition for Lana's affection's Clark." Pete said, and Chloe snorted.

"Somehow I don't think Clark has a problem with that. Now if you'll excuse, I need to get away from this freakshow." She said before heading to the Torch office.

"Okay, what's up with you two?" Pete asked, and Clark shook his head.

"I have no idea Pete."

"Well you better find out, because I'm not going to spend the next several months with my two best friends fighting." Pete replied, and Clark just nodded before racing after his oldest friend.

"Chloe! CHLOE!"

"Go away Clark." She told him, not bothering to turn around or even slow her steps.

"Not until you tell me what's going on. We've been best friends since we were eight years old, and then out of nowhere you're giving me the cold shoulder."

"Well maybe I wouldn't be if you weren't so...You know what never mind! Come talk to me when you've figured it out." She told him before walking into the Torch office, slamming the door behind her.

"What's on your mind Clark?" Natasha asked as soon as he walked into her office.

"Why do you think something's on my mind? I can't just want to stop by and say hello to my best friend?" He asked, and she smiled.

"You could, but that's not the only reason. Now what's on your mind Clark?" She asked again as he walked in and sat down in the chair across from her.

"A few things actually. For starter's I think Lex suspects something is going on between us."

At Natasha's raised eyebrow he elaborated.

"He made a comment that if I had to find someone besides Lana..." He trailed off, and Natasha just nodded.

"I told him he was delusional. I couldn't very well tell him the truth." Clark said, and Natasha smiled. It was the first time either of them had spoken of their feelings and desires aloud, and even though neither of them were ready to act on them, Natasha was grateful to know that they were real.

"No, you couldn't. Now I don't think I'm wrong in saying that while both of us want something besides friendship, neither one of us are ready to act on our feelings." She said, and Clark smiled, nodding his head in confirmation.

"When we do at on them, it will be because we're ready, not because of what someone assumes. However, I think you need to be careful around Lex. When I was with SHIELD I heard things about the Luthor's. We could never find any proof, but there was a strong suspicion that Lionel and possibly Lex were involved with some less than pleasant people."

"Such as?"

"Some former KGB commanders, Hydra, several terrorist groups. But as I said we could never find any proof other than some mysterious financial records. Then with everything that happened with Hydra, the Chitari and everything else the Luthor's were deemed a secondary priority. Just be careful what you tell Lex Clark. If anything happened to you..."

"Hey, nothing's going to happen. I'm pretty hard to kill." He replied, and she just nodded.

"In other news, Chloe isn't talking to me." He said before proceeding to tell his friend exactly what had happened between him and Chloe.

"I think I might be the reason for that."

"How do you figure that?" He asked, and Natasha just sighed before telling him about the conversation she had with Chloe a few days earlier. Clark listened in silence, the only sign of his growing anger being his fists clenching at his sides. When Natasha had told him everything he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"I'm sorry. She had no right to say any of that. You know she's wrong don't you?" He asked, and Natasha smiled.

"I do. But I don't think you need to be too hard on her Clark."

Natasha couldn't help but laugh at the bewildered expression that crossed her best friend's face.

"What's so funny?" He asked once her laughter had subsided.

"You can see through walls, but you can't see what's right in front of your face. Chloe's jealous Clark! She's jealous of the fact that you and I are so close. She's jealous of the fact that you have feelings for me."

"What?! That's not possible! I mean, it's Chloe! She's like the younger sister I never had. I couldn't think about her the way I think about you."

"You're telling me you have never once seen Chloe as anything besides a sister or a friend? You've never once given her the impression that the two of you could be anything more?"

"No! Except..."

Clark's voice trailed off, Natasha resisting the urge to press him for answers. If Clark actually did have feelings for Chloe, and he chose to act on those instead of his feelings for her, Natasha knew it would hurt. It would do more than hurt. It would break her heart. But Natasha also knew that more than anything else, she wanted Clark to be happy. Even if he wasn't happy with her.

"When we met, Chloe and I were eight year's old. We were in my loft, and she kissed me. She told me that we could get it out of the way, and get on with being best friend's. Nothing has happened since then, and I've moved on." He said, giving Natasha a soft smile, which she returned.

"But it's obvious that she hasn't. You need to talk to her, and you need to remind her that she is still important to you."

"Thank you Natasha. Before I go do that, there is one other thing. On my way over to talk to you, I looked into Tina Greer's locker."

"Pete's comment made you suspicious?" Natasha asked, and Clark nodded.

"I saw the money from the robbery. And when I saw Lex's double, I looked at his skeleton. It was glowing green. Now I can't know unless I look at her skeleton, but it looks like Tina could be behind it."

"Okay. Once school get's out, I'm going to follow her. I'll call you when she stops and then we'll take her down."

"Alright. I'll wait for your call." He replied, standing up and embracing her before walking out of the office. For now, Tina could wait. He had to talk to Chloe.

**The Torch- Ten Minutes Later**

"Knock, knock." Clark said as he walked into the Torch where he found Chloe hard at work on the next day's edition.

"I told you Clark-"

"To come talk to you when I figured it out. Well I figured out what was bothering you Chloe."

"Oh? Please, enlighten me." She replied, not bothering to look up from her computer screen.

"You're jealous because I have feelings for Natasha." He replied, and Chloe glared but still didn't look up from her screen.

"You told me when we were eight years old that you wanted to get it over with and get on with being best friends."

"Get out." She replied softly, still not looking up from her screen.

"Chloe-"

"GET OUT! Go back to Agent Romanoff, and tell her she doesn't have anything to worry about! I'm done trying to get through to you. Just don't come crying to me when she stabs you in the back." Chloe finished, and Clark glared before he walked out of the Torch. He didn't want to lose Chloe's friendship, but now obviously wasn't the time to talk to her. And her comment's about Natasha were completely uncalled for.

The rest of the day was miserable, and when Natasha called him a few minutes after school ended, Clark was relieved. Now he had something to focus on besides his fight with Chloe.

"Well that was fast." He said when he answered his phone.

"Not really. There's no sign of Tina anywhere. She never left the building. At least, not as herself."

"Give me a minute." Clark said, walking into the men's bathroom. A moment later, he was walking out, shaking his head even as he dialed Natasha.

"I checked the whole building. She's not here. But I found Whitney Fordman unconscious in the gym."

"Did he see you?" She asked from behind him. He nearly jumped at her voice and she laughed in response.

"Don't do that! And no, he didn't see me. But I think it's a good bet who Tina's masquerading as." He said, and Natasha nodded.

"I saw them leave with everyone else about ten minutes ago. They couldn't have gotten too far."

"But how do we find them?" Clark asked, and Natasha smiled.

"You can hear things from miles away. Find Lana's voice, and you find her. Find her..."

"And we find Tina." Clark finished, and Natasha nodded.

He shut his eyes, listening for any hint of Lana's voice. A moment later he opened them and smiled.

"I've found them. They've just gotten to Lana's house."

"Are they alone?" Natasha asked, and Clark nodded.

"Lana's Aunt Nell is apparently working late."

"Okay, then here's what we're going to do..."

Five minutes later they appeared outside Lana's house, Clark setting Natasha on her feet with a smile.

"That was fun."

"Yes it was. Any chance we can do it again?" She asked, and his grin broadened.

"Whenever you want." He replied before they walked up to the front door, Natasha opening it without a sound. She looked at Clark who pointed upstairs, and Natasha nodded once before they walked inside, Clark racing upstairs and knocking Lana unconscious just as Natasha came up the stairs.

"Clark, what are you-"

"It's over Tina." He said, and 'Whitney' glared before he turned into Tina.

"It's over when I say it is." She replied before lunging at Clark. He dodged her attack, kicking her in the stomach, the young man feeling pain go through his body when his blow connected. Yep, she was definitely meteor infected. She punched him in the face, making Clark groan before he grabbed her wrist and broke it. He then slammed his elbow into her face, shattering her jaw and knocking her out cold.

"Are you okay?" Natasha asked from behind him, and Clark nodded feeling his heart rate slow.

"You could have helped you know."

"You didn't need it. You had things under control."

"That lucky punch never should have happened." He argued, and Natasha nodded.

"You're right. It won't happen again." She replied, and Clark groaned. Training here he comes.

**Four Days Later- Natasha's Apartment**

"Tina was arrested and sentenced to Belle Reve for her actions against Whitney and the money that was found in her vault." Clark said, and Natasha smiled.

"Good. Lana doesn't remember anything?" She asked, and Clark shook his head.

"Not a thing."

"Did your parents ask any questions?"

"Just about how I found the money. I told them, and they made me practice."

"Nothing about her injuries?"

"They didn't ask, and I didn't volunteer. There are some thing's they're better off not knowing." He replied.

"How are you and Chloe?" She asked, and Clark sighed.

"We haven't talked. Every time I try, she ignores me or tells me to leave her be. When she wants to talk, I'll listen. Until then, it's probably better if I give her her space."

"I'm sorry." Natasha said, and Clark shook his head.

"Don't apologize Natasha. Even if you weren't here, I still wouldn't feel anything romantic for Chloe."

"It's not just that. Your parent's would be furious if they knew that I was teaching you how to fight."

"And if you hadn't Tina probably would have killed me in a graveyard." He replied, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"That's not morbid at all." She deadpanned, and Clark laughed.

**The Torch- 6 p.m.**

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Chloe Sullivan."

"Well you've found her." Chloe said as she stood up, seeing the elderly man in her office.

"My name is Gonzalez and I think we can be of great use to each other Miss Sullivan."

"Listen Mr. I don't know what you want but-"

"I want the same thing you want Miss Sullivan. To get Clark Kent away from Natasha Romanoff."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review, and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**The Torch- 6:05 p.m.**

For the last five minutes, the office of Chloe Sullivan had been silent as the young blonde reporter thought about what her visitor had said. Mr. Gonzalez or as Chloe was more apt to think, Agent Gonzalez had stood silently and allowed Chloe time to organize her thoughts. He seemed as though he could stand there all night if necessary. Then again, if he worked for or had worked for SHIELD as Chloe suspected, then he had probably waited far longer on far more important people than a fifteen year old high school student.

"How do you know about Natasha Romanoff?" Chloe asked. She may not want the redhead anywhere near Clark, but Chloe wasn't an idiot. If Gonzalez had been sent by Natasha to test her, then she would most likely end up dead. And if Gonzalez wanted the Black Widow for any other reason, a lot of other people would end up dead. That wasn't something Chloe Sullivan needed on her conscience.

"I worked with her. I'm an agent of SHIELD, just like she is."

"You mean like she was. SHIELD was a lie. All it was was a smokescreen for Hydra." Chloe replied, and Gonzalez smiled.

"No, the SHIELD that men like Nick Fury and Alexander Pierce built was a lie. It was a house of lies that could no longer support it's own weight, and it was destroyed from within." He replied, and Chloe glared, looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"That was poetic. But if you are an agent of SHIELD as you claim, then all you have done is rebuild that house." Chloe replied. If she expected Gonzalez to be insulted, he didn't seem to be. If anything, he almost seemed to take her words as a compliment as his smile widened.

"Miss Sullivan, if you were older I would try and recruit you. You're exactly the kind of person that the new SHIELD needs. Someone who doesn't take the words of anyone at face value, but determines the truth for herself."

"Not interested. All I would be doing would be trading Nick Fury's lies for yours." She replied, and he laughed.

"No Miss Sullivan. For unlike Nick Fury, I don't believe in doing everything on my own. I am part of a council and we make decisions together. This way we make sure that no one person holds all the cards."

"So checks and balances?" Chloe asked, and Gonzalez nodded.

"If you like, But I didn't come here to explain the new SHIELD policy to you. I came here to deal with Agent Romanoff."

"You don't want to hurt Clark?" Chloe asked.

"I have no interest in Mr. Kent. My only concern is keeping him safe from the Black Widow. You don't know her like do Miss Sullivan. No matter what she says, Natasha Romanoff is totally devoted to the ideals of Nick Fury. Given the chance, she will take your friend and turn him into an assassin."

"Clark would never-"

"He wouldn't even realize what she was doing until he killed someone. And by that point, he wouldn't care. Oh I'm sure he might be upset for a time." Gon zalez said, seeing the outraged look on Chloe's face.

"But a few honeyed words and touches from Natasha Romanoff would have him quickly forgetting his guilt. She is the most dangerous woman in the world, but far too few remember that her skills as an assassin are not the most lethal tools in her arsenal."

Chloe grimaced at the implications that Gonzalez's words conveyed, but she couldn't deny that they had merit. In the three short months since Natasha Romanoff had first appeared in Smallville, Clark Kent had changed to the point where Chloe barely recognized the young man who had been her best friend since they were both eight years old. Clark had dismissed her concerns about the former KGB spy as mere jealousy without even bothering to hear her out. He seemed like a stranger to her, and she knew that it could all be laid at the feet of one person. One woman was to blame for Clark Kent's drastic change. And that woman was Natasha Romanoff. The Black Widow. The spy and the killer who could bring nothing but hurt to anyone and anything she touched. Well Chloe would die before she would allow Clark to be hurt by Natasha Romanoff or anyone else. She loved him, and because she loved him, she would protect him even if he didn't know it.

"You swear to me that Clark won't be hurt?" She asked, and Gonzalez nodded.

"You have my word that Clark Kent will not be touched."

"And the Black Widow will be out of our lives?"

"Miss Sullivan, I promise you that you will never have to see Natasha Romanoff again."

Chloe sighed, silently praying to whatever God may exist that she was making the right decision.

"Okay then Agent Gonzalez...Tell me what you need me to do."

**Three Days Later- Natasha's Apartment**

"I'm sorry if I-"

Clark's apology was cut off by the sound of Natasha's laughter, the young woman smiling as she wiped a small trickle of blood from her lip.

"Don't apologize Clark. The fact that you managed to get past my defenses enough to draw blood just shows how far you've come. And the fact that you managed to do it without using your powers makes it all the more impressive. Pretty soon I won't have anything left to teach you." She told him, and he smiled with pride at the words of his teacher and friend.

"Somehow I doubt you'll ever run out of things to teach me Natasha." He replied with a smile of his own. She opened her mouth to reply, but Clark wouldn't know what her next words would have been. Not tonight in any case. In the next moment Natasha fell to the ground, clutching at her stomach.

"NATASHA!" Clark screamed, by her side an instant later. Immediately he felt as though he were going to pass out.

There was a bullet lodged in Natasha's stomach. A bullet that was made of glowing green meteor rock.

"Get...get away." She whispered, but Clark ignored her, choosing instead to pick his best friend up in his arms. Taking Natasha Romanoff to a hospital was not the smartest thing in the world, but faced with the choice of having to stop an unknown number of assassin's or watch his best friend die in his arms, Clark Kent knew what he had to do.

Ignoring the pain from Natasha's wound or the growing fury he was feeling within him Clark ran. He ran faster than he had ever ran before, arriving at the Smallville Medical Center at mere five seconds after he started running.

"SOMEBODY HELP!"

His scream brought people running, and Clark could hear a doctor calling for a gurney. But though he heard the words, none of them registered with the young man. The only thing he would remember about the next few minutes would be Natasha's green eyes fluttering open and shut, his pleading with her to stay with him, and Clark's name on her lips just before her eyelid's fluttered shut.

"Give her to me. Let me help her."

The young woman's voice broke through Clark's thoughts, the young man setting his best friend on the gurney beside the Doctor. The Doctor turned to run down the hallway, but was stopped by Clark's voice.

"Doctor...Please help her."

"I'll do everything I can. I promise."

With those words Natasha disappeared from Claark's sight, the young man slumping in a nearby chair, suddenly overcome with exhaustion. However, he didn't sleep. Instead he spent the next twelve hours listening to the female Doctor's tense voice and Natasha's labored breathing.

**Twelve Hours Later- Smallville Medical Center**

Clark stood as soon as he saw the Doctor making her way down the hall, striding across to where she was.

"Is she..."

"She's alive, and she seems to have made it through the worst of it. These last twelve hours were key. She's going to have a scar, and she'll be in pain for a few weeks, but she should be okay."

It took everything Clark had not to cry and fall to his knees right there. He had never felt so relieved in his entire life. Instead he just nodded, and when he spoke he was overcome with emotion.

"Thank you Doctor..."

It just occurred to Clark that with all his worry over Natasha, he hadn't even bothered to ask her name.

"Bryce. Helen Bryce, and you're welcome. Would you like to see her?"

"More than anything." He replied, and she just started walking back down the hallway, Clark falling into step beside her.

"We're supposed to only allow family, so if anyone asks..."

"I'm her fiancee." Clark finished firmly. Doctor Bryce raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment or in any way challenge the young man's claim. Instead she just nodded before opening a hospital room door. Natasha Romanoff lay in a hospital bed asleep, the only noise in the otherwise silent room coming from the beeping of the machines connected to her bed.

"There is one other thing. Well two things. First, I had to call the police. It's standard procedure when someone comes in with a gunshot wound. Secondly, there was no form of Identification, so we've labeled her a Jane Doe. As her fiancee and next of kin, there's some paperwork you need to fill out, and I need an ID. You're also going to have to talk to the police."

"Her name is Natalie Rushman." Clark replied as he took the paperwork from Doctor Bryce. Natasha had told him that was the name she used when she went undercover at Stark Industries just before the Chitari invasion. With SHIELD almost nonexistent or at the very least fighting among itself, and with all of Natasha's aliases burned, Clark knew that it wouldn't take long for someone to put the pieces together. But hopefully, it would at least buy Natasha a couple days before someone came looking for her.

As Clark sat in the chair next to Natasha's bedside, taking her hand in his own he felt two emotions fighting for dominance inside of him. The first was regret. Regret that he had chosen to wait to act on his feeling's for the beautiful redhead, but more than that regret that she had taken a bullet that was meant for him. The green glow left no doubt in Clark's mind that he was supposed to be the one shot. The second emotion he felt was rage. He was enraged that anyone would dare to attack Natasha, to harm someone who had given so much to the entire world. She didn't ask for acolades or rewards, even though Clark knew she deserved them. No, all she wanted was a place to call home, someplace where she wasn't haunted by the Black Widow. But more importantly, Clark was enraged that someone would dare try to take Natasha from him. And as he looked over at his sleeping best friend, the woman who had quickly become the most important person in his life, Clark Kent made a silent vow. He would find everyone involved with the attack on Natasha, no matter how small a part they may have played. And when he did, he would kill every last one of them with his bare hands.

**The Next Morning**

"Don't you have an exam to get to?"

Her voice was weak, but when Natasha spoke Clark would swear that he had never heard anything more beautiful. He turned to her, not saying a word for a long moment. Instead he just looked at her, trying to memorize every single detail of her face. He smiled, and shook his head.

"I decided to ditch. Besides, Russian's not nearly as fun without you there." He asked, and she smiled.

"You look tired. Have you been here all night?"

"That's not important. What is important is you getting better."

"Clark." She said, a note of warning apparent even through the haze of sleep and medication.

"I'm fine. A couple seconds in the sun and I'm good as new." He replied. Natasha glared, but didn't say anything. The truth was she was glad that Clark was here. Her worst fear when she was shot wasn't of dying. No, her worst fear was that she would wake up alone. She would wake up alone, and she would never show Clark how she felt. She leaned her head up, wincing as the pain from her bullet wound shot through her body.

"You should-"

"Clark." She said, cutting him off.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

And he did. Clark leaned down, and captured her lips with his own. If they were asked, neither of them could put what they were feeling into words. The only word that either thought of was perfect. This moment, right here, right now was perfect. It was a moment that neither of them wanted to end. But all too soon it did as the machine by Natasha's bedside started beeping rapidly.

The two of them split apart, blushes and broad grins on both their faces.

"Well it's good to see that you're awake Miss Rushman." Doctor Bryce said from the doorway, a smile on her face as she looked at the two.

"Just a word of advice. Save the reunion until after the machines are unhooked." Helen said with a grin, making Clark and Natasha blush all the harder.

"How are you feeling Miss Rushman?" She asked, stepping inside the room. To her credit, Natasha didn't even react when she heard the name. Instead she just smiled, and pushed herself up so that she was sitting up straight.

"Really sore, but other than that I'm fine. When can I get out of here Doc?"

"In a couple days. I want to keep you for observation a bit longer. After that, you just have to take it easy for a few weeks." Doctor Bryce replied, and Natasha nodded.

"The police need to speak with your fiancee and I need to change your bandages." She continued, and Clark nodded.

"I'll be back in a minute." He said, kissing her gently on the cheek before walking out of the room, where he found Sheriff Adams waiting for him.

"I hear you got engaged Mr. Kent. Congratulations."

"Sheriff-"

"I'm not here to ruin anyone's reputation. Just tell me what happened."

"We were at Natalie's-"

"You mean Natasha."

"Excuse me?" Clark asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm not an idiot Mr. Kent. The apartment is registered to Natasha Romanoff. If you changed her name that means she was a target."

"Yes she was. We were at her apartment, and she fell over. There was a bullet in her stomach."

"And if I was to inquire how you got her nearly ten miles before she bled out?"

"I'd tell you it was an adrenaline rush."

"Fair enough." The Sheriff replied after a minute. Clark breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she wasn't going to press him for answers.

"Anything else you can tell me?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"No ma'm."

"Alright and Mr. Kent...Be careful."

"Thank you. And if this can stay out of the media-"

"After what that woman did in New York, I'm not saying a word."

"Thank you." He replied, and she just smiled and tipped her hat before walking out of the hospital.

"So I hear we need to go ring shopping." Natasha said by way of greeting, a grin on her face as she watched Clark blush.

"I'm sorry, but it-"

"Was the only way you could stay, Doctor Bryce told me."

"So you're okay if we wait a while on the ring shopping?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Let's start with dinner and go from there."

"I thought we agreed-"

"To wait? We did. But getting shot kind of changes the way I look at things. If you want to wait-"

"No. I almost lost you once. But I'm kind of new to the whole relationship thing." He told her.

"So am I. What do you say we figure it out together?"

"I'd like that."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Two Days Later- Smallville Medical Center**

"And that should be just about everything. Be sure to take it easy, and I'll see you back here in a week." Doctor Bryce said, and Natasha nodded, thanking the Doctor before walking out of the small town hospital.

"Need a lift?" Clark asked, pulling up to the curb in a black Dodge Charger.

"Don't mind if I do." She replied, opening the passenger door and getting in the car.

"Nice ride. Where did you get it?" She asked, and he smiled.

"A friend loaned it to me. I told him I had a date, and I wanted to impress her." Clark replied, and Natasha laughed.

"I think you succeeded." She told him with a grin, leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Hi." She said when they broke the kiss a minute later.

"Hi. How are you feeling?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Sore, but ready to go home."

"Your wish is my command." He replied, and a moment later they were on the road, heading towards Natasha's apartment.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay. My mother called, and-"

"Say no more. I understand. Besides, if your parent's found out I was shot and you were there when it happened..."

"They wouldn't be too thrilled." He finished, and she snorted.

"That would be an understatement. Your dad would probably take the shotgun that's hanging on the wall and finish the job."

"I wouldn't let that happen, and how did you know about my Grandpa's shotgun?"

"I was a spy remember? I notice small details. Like the fact that the telescope in your barn is pointed right at a certain Miss Lang's house." She finished with a raised eyebrow.

"Must have been the wind or something." He replied, and she chuckled.

"Sure. That must have been it. You might want to keep your windows closed at night. Just a suggestion."Clark could tell from Natasha's tone of voice that it wasn't really a suggestion, but he nodded nonetheless.

They spent the rest of the car ride in silence, arriving at Natasha's house a few minute's later.

"Okay, what is it?" Natasha asked once they had gotten inside.

"What's what?" Clark asked.

"Something's on your mind Clark You're worried about something. The Doctor said I'll be fine. Besides, it's not it's going to be my first scar." Natasha said, pulling her shirt up and revealing a small scar just above her abdomen.

"It was Iran. I was grabbing a nuclear scientist who had chosen to defect when we were ambushed by an assassin called the Winter Soldier. He shot me with .357 hollowpoint. It was a through and through, so I survived. But it was bye bye bikinis after that." She said, and he smiled.

"Yeah, I bet you look terrible in em now." He replied, before his face became serious.

"It's not about whether or not you're okay Natasha. It's about what they shot you with. You were shot with a bullet made of meteor rock. You took a bullet that was meant for me, and every instinct I have is telling me that the only way to keep you safe is to push you away. But God help me, I can't do it. I know I should, but I can't. It's wrong, and it's selfish, but I can't do it." He finished, and she smiled.

"I thought the same thing you know? That day we woke up on my couch, I knew that I needed to let you go. I knew that the best thing for you would be to stay away from me, or at the very least I couldn't be anything but your teacher. That if I let whatever was going on between us continue you would only get hurt. All I could ever do was cause you pain. The smart thing would have been to push you away then, but I couldn't. After so long of just being an assassin and a spy, I want something else. I want someone to care for and to care for me. It's wrong, and it's selfish, but I don't care." She finished.

"We still need to figure out who shot you though." Clark said, his eyes darkening.

"We will. But in order to do that, we need to figure out who knows about your weakness to meteor rock."

"You think whoever tried to kill you had help?" He asked, and she nodded.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. It's not like the whole town knows those rocks make you sick, and I would have noticed if someone was following us or listening in on our conversations. So what we need to figure out is who knows that meteor rock makes you sick, and who would have motive to want me dead."

"Well the only people that know I'm allergic to meteor rock are my parents, Pete and Chloe. Now my parents may not be your biggest fans, but they wouldn't ever help someone try to kill you. Especially not with a bullet that could put me in the morgue." He said, and she nodded, laughing softly.

"They might change their mind once they find out we're dating. I mean, we can't keep it a secret forever. But I do think that keeping in quiet for the time being is the right thing to do."

"I agree. Pete wouldn't want you hurt, he thinks you're a total babe. I have to agree with him on that one." He said, and she smiled.

"Which leaves Chloe as the only remaining suspect." Natasha replied, but Clark shook his head.

"I can't believe that Chloe would ever do something like this."

"People will do crazy things, especially if they think they're protecting someone they love."

Clark shook his head, not wanting to believe that his oldest friend could do something so terrible. But he also remembered her words when they had last spoke.

"She told me not to come crying to her when you stabbed me in the back." He said softly.

"And she told me that she didn't want to see you hurt, that all I could bring to anyone was pain. I'm not saying that she knew what she was doing, but if someone talked to her and offered to get me out of your life..."

"You think she might have taken them up on their offer."

"I think we need to talk to her."

"And after we do that?" He asked. She just sighed before embracing him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

**The Next Day- The Torch 7:30 a.m.**

"Do you have a minute Chloe?" Clark asked as he and Natasha walked into the blonde reporter's office.

"Not really I'm-"

"I suggest you make time Miss Sullivan." Natasha interrupted, shutting and locking the door behind her. Clark walked over to his friend, hating what he was going to have to do. But he and Natasha had discussed how they were going to approach the blonde, and the best way to do that was to throw her off balance.

"Look, I don't know what your deal is-"

"My deal is that I spent the last two days in a hospital bed after being shot in the stomach. If it wasn't for Clark, I would have died." Natasha said, cutting the girl off. Chloe's eyes widened, her expression telling Natasha that she had no idea about the plan to shoot her. But that didn't mean Chloe wasn't still involved.

"Natasha was shot with a bullet made of meteor rock." Clark said, and Chloe swallowed.

"That seems like overkill doesn't it? If you want to shoot someone why not use a regular bullet? Why take the time to make a bullet from meteor rock?" Clark asked, but Chloe didn't answer.

"Unless someone knew that I would be with Natasha when she was shot. Then the use of a meteor rock bullet makes sense. After all, meteor rock makes me sick so I wouldn't be able to stop Natasha from bleeding out."

"That's a little far fetched." Chloe said, and Clark nodded.

"You're right...except there was only one shot fired. If someone wanted to take me out, they could have just used regular bullets and fired two shots."

That was a lie, but Chloe didn't need to know that.

"The fact that I wasn't shot suggests that Natasha was the target. Now, at first I thought that it was one of Natasha's enemies."

"I have more than enough people who would love to see me dead. But my enemies are professional's. They don't leave witnesses." Natasha said.

"And they wouldn't know that meteor rock makes me sick. There are only four people in the world besides Natasha and I who know what that rock does to me. My parents. Pete. And you."

"Now my parents may not be Natasha's biggest fans, but they wouldn't tell someone what makes me sick. Pete thinks Natasha's a babe, so it's highly doubtful that he would have anything to do with her being hurt."

"Which leaves you. You care about Clark, maybe you even love him. And you see me as someone who puts him in danger. So someone comes to you and offers you a way to get me away from Clark. To get me out of his life for good. So because you want to protect him, you tell them about the meteor rock."

"No one was supposed to get hurt. All he wanted to know was a way to keep Clark out of the way for a little bit. He said he wanted to talk to you, convince you to go with him." Chloe said softly, her voice barely audible.

"Who was he Chloe? What was the man's name?" Clark asked.

"Gonzalez. He told me his name was Gonzalez. He said he worked for SHIELD that he wanted to bring Agent Romanoff back where she belonged."

"And who are you to decide that?" Clark asked, feeling his fury at Natasha being shot return full force.

"I just wanted to protect you Clark. Gonzalez told me that Natasha would turn you into a killer, that you wouldn't even realize what she was doing until it was too late."

"Why didn't you just TALK TO ME?!" Clark yelled.

"Because I don't even know you anymore! We've been friend's since we were eight years old, but ever since Natasha Romanoff came here you've been different. I tried to tell you to be careful around her, but you totally ignored me! You're so in love with her that you wouldn't even here me out! So I did what I felt I had to to protect you because I love you Clark."

"The fact that I believe that is the only reason I'm not ripping you apart with my bare hands. You'll always be like the sister I never had Chloe, but I need some time to think. I just...I don't know what I'm going to do." He said before walking out of the Torch, Natasha following behind.

"Natasha." Chloe called. The Russian stopped, but she didn't turn around.

"Please...take care of him. And tell him I'm sorry."

"I will." She replied without turning around. A moment later, the door shut, leaving Chloe Sullivan alone with her tears and regrets.

"What happens now?" Clark asked when Natasha caught up to him. His voice was dull and monotone, and he looked as though he had just been stabbed. As much as Natasha wanted to comfort him, she knew that now wasn't the time.

"Now, we run. It won't take Gonzalez long to learn that I'm still alive, if he doesn't know already. He probably already knows about your powers, which means he could be coming for us at any second."

"Let him come. I'll tear him apart." Clark said, but Natasha shook her head.

"No. I want payback too, but neither of us in any condition to start a fight with Gonzalez and his people. Besides, we can't be sure that he's the only one involved in this. For now, we run."

"You have everything ready?" He asked, and she nodded.

"I've got ID's, money, burn phone's the works. It should last us a few weeks. Can you keep the Charger for a while? We can't risk that they have some way to track your powers, and our car's could be bugged."

"I'm sure Lex won't mind. He's got a few." Clark replied, and Natasha nodded.

"Good. Now, go by your house and pack the essentials. Meet me back here in two minutes."

"I thought you said-"

"This is the first place they'll look. Now please just do as I say." She replied, and he nodded. Two minutes later he was getting into the Charger, Natasha gunning the engine as soon as he had shut the door.

"Where are we going?" Clark asked.

"A safe place. I've got a friend who will let us stay for a few days. After that...I don't know." She said.

"Will we ever come back?"

"Someday. You can still say you know? I could probably buy you a few months, maybe a year." She replied, but he shook his head, taking her hand.

"We're in this together."

Natasha smiled sadly, squeezing his hand. His words meant more than she would ever be able to tell him. As they passed the Welcome To Smallville sign, Natasha promised that she would bring Clark back. One day. Perhaps not one day soon, but one day. For now, she was just grateful not to be alone.

**A/N: There were have it, Chapter 9! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Pull over."

"Clark-"

"Pull over before you pass out. You've been driving for nearly ten hours. Now let's find a gas station, fill up the tank and grab some food. Then you can tell me where to go and get a few hours sleep."

Natasha just sighed before taking the next exit, pulling over a few minutes later.

"Fill up the tank while I head inside and pay for everything. Anything particular you want?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"I'm good with whatever. Thank you." He said, and she smiled.

"You're welcome. There's a gun in the glove box. You see or hear anything suspicious-"

"Shoot first, ask questions later. I've got it. If anything happens in there-"

"I'll yell. See you in a few." She said, heading inside the gas station while Clark filled up the pump. The young man watched her until she was out of sight, grabbing the gun from the glove box and flicking off the safety. He set it beside him so that it was within easy reach, but out of sight of anyone else who might be nearby. The Exxon just outside of Ohio was surprisingly empty for just after 6 p.m. in the evening. There were a couple trucks filling up, and there was an old BMW parked in front of the gas station, but that was it. Clark used his x-ray vision on the vehicles and their occupants, relieved to find no weapons or identification that might point to Gonzalez or some of his people. Not that Clark relaxed his guard. There was every chance that whoever had tried to kill Natasha was just a few minutes behind, waiting for a chance to finish the job. If there was one thing he had learned from the last couple of days, it was to never relax your guard. Because the moment you did, you could get hurt.

"Everything okay?" Natasha asked a few moments later when she got in on the passenger's side.

"Seems to be. But I think it's best if we keep moving. Where are we going?"

When she told him, he couldn't believe it.

**Two Weeks Later**

"Natasha, wake up. We're here."

Natasha's green eyes fluttered open, seeing the familiar farmhouse in front of them. It had taken two weeks, but they had arrived, and the former SHIELD agent was confident they weren't being followed.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Clark asked as he got out of the car, walking around and opening Natasha's door.

"Honestly? No, but it's a safe place." She replied before heading up to the farmhouse, Clark walking beside her. She opened the door and the two walked inside, a man and woman meeting them in the foyer.

"Romanoff." The man said simply.

"Barton." She replied in the same tone, the two embracing each other a moment later.

"It's good to see you Nat. But who's your friend?" Clint asked, his eyes darting towards Clark.

"This is Clark Kent. Clark, this is Clint Barton and his wife Laura." She said, and the young man shook hands with the two.

"How about we sit down, and you tell us what's going on Nat?" Clint asked, and she nodded.

"Where are the kids?" Natasha asked when they sat down on the couch in the living room.

"At my mothers. We have to pick them up in an hour." Laura said.

"Now what's going on Natasha?" Clint asked, and Natasha explained the events of the last couple days.

"Thank you for saving my sister Clark. I don't know how you did it, but thank you." Clint said, and Clark just smiled.

"Now, let's get you two set up. There's a guest bedroom just up the stairs on the right. You can put your stuff in there." He said, and Clark nodded before grabbing the bags and heading upstairs, leaving Natasha alone with Clint and Laura.

"I'm sorry for bringing our problems here Clint but-"

"We're family Nat. And when I see Gonzalez again, I'm going to put an arrow in his eye."

"Get in line." Clark replied as he walked back down the stairs.

"Boys, enough. We'll deal with Gonzalez later. For now, we both need some sleep." Natasha said, and Clark nodded.

"We'll try to keep the kid's quiet when they get in. Sleep well. You're both safe here." Laura said, and they smiled before heading upstairs. Five minutes later, they were asleep in each others arms both mentally and physically exhausted.

Clark opened his eyes as he heard the bedroom door open, relaxing when he saw Laura standing there.

"Dinner's almost ready if you two are hungry." She said, and Clark smiled.

"Thanks. We'll be right down." He said, and she nodded before leaving the room.

"Morning sleeping beauty." He said, and Natasha chuckled.

"I think it's evening."

"It's five o'clock somewhere." He replied, and she just shook her head before standing up. Clark did the same a moment later, and the two walked downstairs where they found Clint, Lara and their children at the table.

The next thing Clark knew he was nearly bowled over as the children rushed to Natasha.

"Auntie Nat!"

"Geez you two have gotten big. What have your parents been feeding you?"She asked with a smile, embracing her niece and nephew.

"Mom cooks. Dad goes and buys pizza." The boy said. Natasha. Clark and Laura laughed while Clint just shot a glare at his son.

"Traitor."

"I think your boy's just smart Barton. It's impossible to lie to Natasha Romanoff." Clark spoke up, and Clint just glared, muttering under his breath.

"Stan, Rebecca this is my friend Clark. Clark this is Stan and Rebecca, my niece and nephew."

"It's nice to meet you." Clark said, offering both children a smile.

"You too." Rebecca replied while Stan just nodded, offering Clark a smile.

"So, how did you two meet?" Clint asked, and Clark hesitated. While they had told Clint and Laura about what had happened over the last two days, they had omitted anything about meteor rock, and Clark's powers.

"That's a long and somewhat complicated story. The short version is I was doing some research and Clark took the initiative to help me out." Natasha replied, knowing that her former partner would understand what she wasn't saying. Natasha loved Laura and the kids, but there were certain things that they would never know. And the Avenger's Initiative was one of them. Oh, they knew about the Avengers, but the plan to form them was strictly need to know.

"Nice of you." Clint said, and Clark smiled.

"It was my genuine pleasure." He replied, and Laura smirked.

"I'll bet it was. Now I hate to cut this short, but it's time for the kids to go to bed."

"But-"

"No buts young lady. You both have school tomorrow." Laura said, and Rebecca glared before leaving the table, Stan following behind after a glare of his own.

Clark raised an eyebrow as he heard a few choice words escape the young man's lips.

"What?" Natasha asked, but Clark just shook his head. There were some things you just didn't say in mixed company.

"Well I think we're going to call it a night. See you two in the morning." Clint said before he and Laura headed upstairs.

"Are you sure we should be here?" Clark asked once they were in the guest bedroom. Natasha looked up at him, just waiting for him to elaborate.

"Gonzalez is going to come after us, and he'll find us eventually. The last thing we need is for Laura and the kids to get caught in the crossfire."

"They won't be. We'll be gone before Gonzalez can find us here." She replied, and he nodded.

**The Next Morning**

Natasha opened her eyes, reaching across Clark's arm to where her phone was ringing. Wait...Her phones wasn't supposed to be ringing. She had ditched it a couple days ago when she and Clark had left Smallville. He had ditched his too. Which meant someone was calling her on a burn phone.

"Clark, wake up." She said, shaking him awake.

"Natasha? What time is it?"

"Time to go."

He was up in an instant, changing clothes at superspeed, grateful they hadn't fully unpacked. By the time Natasha answered the phone the two of them were downstairs, Clint running to grab his bow as soon as he saw the look on his sister's face.

"Hello."

"Good morning Agent Romanoff. You and the boy need to come in."

"I don't work for you Gonzalez. And Clark's just as likely to kill you as talk to you, so you'll understand if we pass on your invitation."

"I wanted to do this differently, but you aren't giving me much choice."

A moment later Stan's voice was heard on the phone.

"Let her go you-"

"Stan!"

"Auntie Nat! They've got Rebecca I-Ahh!"

"Stan! Gonzalez let those kids go or I swear to God-"

"Empty threat. And tell your boy not to try and run after them. If he does...well his parents won't look so healthy with holes in their heads."

Natasha felt Clark stiffen beside her, and she didn't need to look at him to see the fury that was on his face. She could feel it pouring off of him in waves.

"When and where?" She asked, keeping her voice even. She was beyond pissed, but emotion wouldn't help her now. She needed to be calm and collected or she would make mistakes.

"How about Clark's house, say ten tonight? I think it's time his parent's know who their son spends his nights with."

"We'll be there. But if Clark's parents or those kids are in anything less than perfect health, I will kill you slowly."

All she heard was a dial tone. Gonzalez had hung up.

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to rip him apart with my bare hands." Clark said, speaking so softly that Natasha barely heard him.

"Let's wait until everyone's safe okay? Remember, we don't need innocent people getting caught in the crossfire." She said, and he nodded, taking a deep breath to try to let go of some of his anger.

Just then Clint came back into the room, bow slung over his shoulder and Laura coming behind him, a gun in hand.

"What's going on?"

"Clint...Gonzalez has the kids and Clark's parents. He set up a meet."

"Good. I can put an arrow in his heart."

"No."

"No? Nat-"

"I know what's at stake Clint. But if you show up, he could be all that more likely to pull the trigger. I am asking you to let Clark and I handle this."

Clint was torn. He knew that Natasha had a point, that if he went to this meet Gonzalez could kill his kids and Clark's parents just for spite. But allowing someone else to go after Gonzalez while he just sat on the sidelines went against every instinct he had as a father and a former SHIELD agent.

"Clint, do as she says." Laura spoke up. For a moment Clint did nothing, and then he finally nodded.

"Watch her back." He told Clark, and the young man nodded.

"I will. And I promise you, Stan and Rebecca will be fine. I won't let anything happen to them."

"For some crazy reason I believe you." He said, shaking Clark's hand. The two left a moment later, heading towards Smallville as fast as the car would take them.

**Just Outside Smallville**

"I'm sorry."

They were the first words either of them had spoken in seven hours, Natasha's driving having turned the normal ten hour drive into just under seven. Both of them had been too preoccupied with their own thoughts to make any conversation, too worried about what would happen once they actually got to Smallville. Even if everything went their way, and that was a big if, they both knew there would be reprucussions. Clark's parents would be furious that he was dating Natasha, and they would no doubt blame her for what had happened. And the former SHIELD agent couldn't really blame them. It was best to get this over with now instead of having to do it in front of an audience.

"For what?" Clark asked, and she sighed.

"Everything. Making you run with me, Gonzalez putting your family in danger, just...everything."

"Don't apologize. You offered to let me stay in Smallville remember? You told you'd buy me a few months, maybe a year. I chose to come with you, and I don't regret that choice. Not for a second. As for my family being in danger, that's not your fault. It's mine. I should have gotten them out."

Natasha wanted to argue with him. After all, she was the one who had spent most of her life as a spy. She was the one who had been thinking five steps ahead, who had set up covers for both of them. But she had made a rookie mistake, and she had left his family exposed. However, she also knew that Clark wouldn't see it that way. So she didn't say anything. Instead she just took his hand. She wanted to enjoy the last few minutes that she had with him.

"My parents aren't going to be happy you know? When they find out about us."

"Do we need to talk about this now?" She asked. The truth was that as much as it hurt, she had already resigned herself to the inevitable. Tonight was her last night with her best friend. By this time tomorrow, she would be gone. It was best for both of them.

"I can't think of any other time. Look, I know my parents are going to be upset but I don't care. I don't want to lose you Natasha."

"It's better-"

"Better? Better for who? Gonzalez? My parents? You?"

"We can't talk about this now. Once everyone's safe...then we'll figure this out."

Clark just nodded, squeezing her hand.

"Remember what I taught you. You have a second. Use it." She told him as they got out of the car.

"Mr. Kent, and Agent Romanoff. You're punctual. I like that." Gonzalez said as they walked into the living room. He was standing just in front of the couch, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Natasha's trained eyes took in the scene, trying to find some way to end this quickly. Clark's mother and father were on the couch, looking mostly unhurt save for a cut above Jonathan's left eye. Chloe sat next to them, nursing what Natasha suspected was a broken wrist. Stan and Rebecca were at opposite ends of the room, both nursing bruises. What made hings more complicated was that Bobbi Morris and Grant Ward had just entered the room and moved to stand beside Gonzalez.

The former spy swore softly in her native tongue. She was going to kill Gonzalez when this was over.

"Let's cut the pleasantries. Just tell us what you want." Natasha said, and Gonalez just laughed.

"Same old Romanoff. Always business. Tell me, is she like that in bed?" Grant asked, making Clark glare. Natasha's look was the only thing that kept him from responding.

"Son, what is he-"

"Oh he didn't tell you Mr. Kent? Your son has been sleeping with Agent Romanoff. She's also been teaching him to be a killer." Gonzalez said with a smile.

"Since we're in such a sharing mood, how about you tell me which one of you shot Natasha in the stomach?" Clark asked, fury clear in his eyes.

"I'm a specialist. It's my job to take care of potential threats." Ward spoke up, and Natasha snorted.

"You're a traitor who sold his soul to Hydra. Now let's skip the crap and get to the part where you tell us what you want before I lose my patience and put a bullet in your head."

"You need to come in Natasha. You need to come back to SHIELD. And Mr. Kent is going to be indexed and watched."

"That's not going to happen. Now I'll give you one chance. Leave and never come back. Otherwise I will kill you."

"I think we have you outnumbered." Gonzalez replied.

Clark grimaced, but said nothing. Instead he just waited. Two seconds later, he moved, charging at Ward just as Natasha went for Bobbi. He ignored the pain from the meteor rock, attacking Ward with everything he had. Natasha had trained him to get the outcome he wanted.

He wanted Grant Ward dead.

"You're good." Ward said as he blocked a kick aimed at his head, before striking back with a punch towards Clark's jaw. The young man didn't respond, and the fight continued.

"We shouldn't be fighting each other Nat. We were friends once." Bobbi said, and Natasha glared.

"We stop being friends the minute you started kidnapping innocent people." She responded, slamming her forehead into blonde's, and causing her to stumble backwards.

Gonzalez had been watching the entire time, and he didn't like what he was seeing. Romanoff was good, which was no surprise. But Clark Kent shouldn't be holding his own against Ward. The senior SHIELD operative realized he had misjudged the situation, and he needed to even the odds. He pulled a piece of meteor rock from his pocket...And promptly fell to the ground unconscious.

"I think everyone needs to calm down." Phil Colson said as he stepped into the room with Skye and May beside him, ICER held in his hand.

"Colson." Natasha said simply, standing over a bloody and unconscious Bobbi Morris. She looked over to where Clark was standing, holding Grant Ward in a chockehold. The so called specialist was bloody and bruised, while Clark seemed perfectly fine. Physically at least. Mentally, he looked like he was about to snap Ward's neck.

"Clark, that's enough." She said, walking over to him.

"No, it's not. He deserves to die." Clark replied, still not loosening his grip. It would be so easy. One twist and it was over. The scum who shot Natasha would be dead, unable to ever harm her again.

"But does he deserve your guilt?" Natasha asked, so softly that only he could hear.

Clark just dropped Ward to the floor before walking over to Colson.

"Lock that animal up before I change my mind." He replied before going and untying his parents and Chloe while Natasha did the same with Stan and Rebecca.

**Three Hours Later-Kent Farm**

"You sure I can't convince you to come back? And I could use someone with your talents." Colson asked, but Clark and Natasha shook their heads.

"Sorry, I don't do well with the whole team thing. But if you need help with another level seven..."

"Understood, and thank you. Now, you won't be in the index, but try to keep a low profile." He replied, and Clark smiled.

"Natasha, about what I asked you-"

"I'll do it. See you around Phil." She said, and he smiled, embracing her and shaking Clark's hand before walking out the door and getting into Lola.

"So, you're leaving?" Clark asked, making Natasha raise an eyebrow.

"Why would you think that?"

"You agreed to help Colson, and after what you said in the car-"

"I agreed to help Colson train Skye to use her powers. She's going to be staying here in Smallville. As for what I said in the car...I can't promise that we won't have to run again. I can't promise that you'll always be safe. I can't promise that your family will always be safe."

"I don't need that. Just promise me that I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and find you gone."

She just smiled, and kissed him in response.

"That's one promise I can make. I'm not going anywhere. Now I think your parents want to have a chat."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Clark, I'm so sorry. He made me find your phone, told me he would kill the kid's if I-"

"It's fine Chloe. You did the right thing." He replied, taking a seat next to Natasha on the couch.

The blonde just nodded, not saying anything. Clark was grateful that she didn't. While he still thought of Chloe as the sister he never had, she had made him realize that he couldn't trust her with his secret. At least, not anytime soon. A few minutes later the blonde left, promising not to breathe a word of what had happened here today. Skye had gone with Colson to say goodbye to the other members of her team, and would be returning later tonight. This left Clark and Natasha alone with Jonathan and Martha Kent, the tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

"What have you been teaching my son Agent Romanoff? And please do not say Russian."

"Well, that is part of it." Clark said in perfect Russian, and Natasha smiled.

"I've been teaching him to survive. To learn to control his gifts so that he gets the outcome he wants when he has to take on the meteor infected that seem to be popping up every other day."

"You had no right-"

"She had every right. And I asked Natasha to help me. Because I don't ever want to be in another situation where I accidentally kill someone."

"Clark, what are you talking about? You've never killed anyone." Martha said, and Clark just shook his head.

"I did. I didn't mean to, but there was no other choice. He was going to kill all of those people. He had to be stopped."

"Clark, how could you-"

"Don't finish that sentence Mr. Kent. You have no right to judge Clark for doing what was necessary to stay alive."

"And Earl Jenkins? Was taking out someone you've known your whole life necessary? Was hurting a man who was practically family necessary?"

"He was holding an entire class of children hostage! Lionel Luthor wanted to put a bullet in Earl's head, and the plant was going to blow any minute because of the rising pressure! What was I supposed to do dad?! Please, enlighten me on what I possibly could have done without exposing my secret."

"You shouldn't have had to do anything." Jonathan replied, giving Natasha a look. She just stared back at the farmer, her face betraying nothing.

"Maybe I'm wrong, but when a high school teacher takes down a guy with a gun, the press start asking questions. How long do you think it would be before someone came after Natasha? A couple days? A week?"

"That's not your problem." Jonathan replied, and Clark glared.

"You always taught me to do the right thing. To use my abilities to help people. But it seems like every single time I do, all you can say is that I made a mistake."

"You lied to us Clark! You kill a man and you say nothing! You harm one of my oldest friends, and then you up and vanish for two weeks without so much as a phone call!"

"Well I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I don't want you and mom to have to deal with my pain! That I can't tell you about the nightmares I have every single time I close my eyes. That I couldn't call and tell you Natasha and I had to leave town because a lunatic shot her in the stomach! I'm sorry that I didn't call you and check in when I spent twelve hours in a hospital listening to my best friend fight for her life, and praying to God that every breath she took wouldn't be her last. I'm so sorry that I failed you!" Clark yelled, abruptly standing and walking out of the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

"The boy Clark killed was planning on murdering everyone at the homecoming dance. He died because Clark hit him with a board and sent him through a wall. If he hadn't, Jeremy could have killed him and God knows how many others. When Clark told me, he was a wreck. He couldn't believe that he had killed a man. That night he showed up at my door because he was having nightmares. He has them almost every night. Now you may not like it Mr. Kent, but I taught Clark to survive so that he never has to kill again. He took down Earl Jenkins to protect me, Earl and everyone else in that building. He hurt Earl to save him from a sniper's bullet. He ran away with me to try and keep you safe from Gonzalez and his people. Everything he has done has been to protect himself and others."

"Why didn't he just tell us?" Martha asked, and Natasha snorted.

"He did it to spare you pain. He did it because your husband is so stuck on his own self-righteousness that he makes judgments without knowing all the facts. He didn't tell you because the only people who can understand what he is going through is someone who has killed. He did it because he knew the minute you found out, you would blame me. Well that stops now."

Natasha locked eyes with both of the Kent's, and in that moment she looked every bit the assassin that she once was.

"Now I know that you're trying to protect Clark, and that's admirable. But you have nothing to fear from me. Since the day you met me all you've done is treat me like an enemy when all I've done is try to be a friend to your son. I protected him, and I have been since before you met me. And I will continue to do so. But I will not tolerate my actions or Clark's actions being judged by a man who has never had to walk a mile in our shoes. Now, I'm going to go find Clark and make sure he's okay. Maybe you should take the time to think about why you're so hypocritical Mr. Kent. You say Clark needs to use his gifts to help people, but you don't trust him to use them responsibly. I would fix that or once he turns eighteen he may just walk out your door for good."

Natasha stood up and walked toward the door, turning around at the last second.

"I'm going to be around for as long as Clark wants me to be Mr. Kent. I'd like us to be friendly or at least be able to get along. But I'm through trying to prove myself to you."

"Mind if I join you?" Natasha asked as she walked up the stairs to the loft, finding Clark by the open barn window.

"Not at all." He replied, and she smiled, taking his hand in her own as they watched the sun begin to set beneath the clouds.

"It's beautiful."

"Yes it is." He replied. But Clark wasn't looking at the sunset. He was looking at her, and Natasha felt her face heat up under his gaze. A moment later his lips were on hers, his hands threading through her hair as hers wrapped around his neck. For a moment the two just stood there, seemingly frozen in time as they both tried to communicate with their lips what they couldn't say with their words. There were no words that could describe the emotions that both were feeling. Happiness, joy, relief, hope, anger, frustration and nearly every other emotion known to man were coursing through Clark Kent and Natasha Romanoff.

"Agent Romanoff I-Oh, I am so sorry." Skye said as she walked into the barn, the two separating as they heard the young woman's voice.

"No problem, and just call me Natasha. Miss Romanoff when we're in class, but otherwise you call me Natasha." The older woman replied, and Skye nodded before turning her attention towards Clark.

"I'm Skye."

"I'm Clark Kent. It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too. Now, not to interrupt whatever this was but I was going to head over to the apartment, throw my stuff in the guest room. If that's okay?"

"Sure." Natasha replied.

"Take the Charger." Clark said, tossing her the set of keys.

"Thanks." Skye replied, before walking away leaving the two alone once again.

"Well, that wasn't awkward at all." Clark deadpanned, and Natasha laughed.

"She was going to find out eventually. Besides, it could have been worse."

"Somehow I doubt that." Clark replied.

"It could've been Pete and Chloe."

"You're right. That would have been worse."

"Are you okay?" She asked a minute later, and Clark just sighed before sitting down on the sofa. Natasha sat next to him, just waiting for the young man to speak.

"I am so far from okay it's not even funny. I'm angry at my parents and I still want to rip Ward's throat out for what he did to you."

He stopped speaking, but Natasha still didn't say a word. She could tell that he wasn't done.

"Chloe...Chloe was terrified of me. I could see it in her eyes. My parents were too. When I was about to break Ward's neck, they were looking at me like I was some kind of alien."

Natasha thought about making a joke about how her boyfriend actually was an alien, but that wasn't appropriate right now.

"They just don't understand. Chloe sees you as a normal farmboy, and your parents still see you as a child. They don't want to accept that you're not as innocent as most people your age. They don't want you to grow up."

"But they're okay with me going out and fighting the meteor infected?" Clark asked, and Natasha shook her head.

"No. I don't agree with your fathers double standard, but I understand his reasoning. It's the same reasoning I had back when Ward first became an agent."

She was silent for a moment, and then she continued.

"I was his Supervising Officer. I taught him. I trained him. And for the first year he was an agent I was his partner on every single mission he took. After the first year, he told me enough was enough. He told me I needed to let him go, that he wasn't a rookie anymore."

"What did you tell him?" Clark asked, keeping his voice even. In truth, the thought of Natasha having anything to do with Grant Ward made him want to vomit.

"I wished him good luck. I realized that as much as I wanted to protect him from the evils of the world, the time had come for me to let him go. I had to trust that he could handle himself. Just like your parents are going to have to trust you to take care of yourself. It will take time, but they will come around. Just like I did."

"I'm sorry about Ward Natasha."

"So am I. But he made his choice, and I made mine." She replied, taking his hand.

The two were silent for a moment before Clark spoke.

"So, you and Ward..."

"We were friends and nothing more." She replied, and Clark smiled.

"So I have nothing to be jealous over?" He asked, and she grinned.

"Not for a second."

**The Next Morning**

Natasha headed into Smallville High, where she was immediately met by Principal Reynolds.

"Miss Romanoff, you're back early."

"I have work to do."

"Indeed you do. I'll leave you to it. And Natasha...I'm sorry about your father."

She nodded before heading into her office, seeing a note laying on her desk. Her worry grew with each step she took, the former spy wondering if some new foe was about to try and tear her world apart. She slowly opened the envelope, revealing a single sheet of paper. On it were four words.

_Keep both eyes open_

**A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Sunday Night- Metropolis Museum**

"It belonged to Alexander the Great."

Clark turned from the jewel encrusted breastplate he was examining as he heard Lex's voice.

"I didn't realize you were so interested in history." Clark said, and Lex laughed.

"I'm not. I'm just interested in people who ruled the world by the time they were thirty."

"Well you've still got a couple years to go Lex." Lana said as she walked over to them, wearing a silver dress.

"Lana. Hi, how have you been?" Clark asked, only now realizing that he hadn't spoken to her in more than two weeks.

"Better than you apparently. Your dad said you were sick with some kind of virus?" The brunette asked, and Clark nodded.

"Yeah. The last two weeks haven't been exactly...pleasant." He finished, and Lana nodded, scowling at something over Clark's shoulder.

"If you'll excuse me, I promised Whitney a dance." She said, looking toward the star quarterback who was sitting at a table by himself. Clark was pleased to see that Whitney looked as out of place as he felt.

"Well, the phrase if looks could kill comes to mind." Natasha said from just behind Clark, the young man relaxing as he heard her voice. He had been a couple seconds away from putting the person behind him on the floor.

"I've found that a lot of people are jealous of what they can't have. In this case, the quarterback's full attention. In fact, it seems like the majority of men in Smallville have an interest in you judging by my friend here." Lex said, gesturing to Clark who had seemingly been struck dumb by the beautiful redhead. Not that Lex could blame him. Natasha was wearing a beautiful red dress that ended just above her knee and hugged her figure. It was sexy without being too showy.

"Like what you see handsome?" Natasha asked quietly, smirking at her boyfriend's expression.

"I think the operative word is gulp." He replied, after a minute, and she laughed before turning to Lex.

"I'm guessing you didn't mention I'd be coming?" She asked, and Lex grinned.

"Must have slipped my mind."

"A great many things have slipped your mind Lex." A new voice said.

"Victoria. This is a surprise."

"Not an unwelcome one I hope." The redhead said, and Lex chuckled.

"Of course not. My apologies. Natasha, Clark, this is Victoria Hardwick. She's an old friend."

"A pleasure to meet you both."

"Likewise. Now if you'll excuse us, I believe I owe this lovely lady a dance." Clark said with a smile, taking Natasha's arm. As they passed Lex, Clark whispered in his friend's ear.

"How close are you keeping her?" He asked, and Lex just shook his head.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Clark just smirked before walking onto the dance floor with Natasha, taking her hand in his as his other hand moved to her waist.

"So, how close do you plan on keeping me?" Natasha asked, and Clark just smiled as he pulled her closer to the point where there was almost no space between them.

"As close as I can. Unless you object?"

"Not at all."

The two moved around the dance floor, lost in the music and each others eyes. The next song had barely begun when Clark tensed.

"I need to-"

"Go." She said softly, and he smiled as he let her go walking out of the museum as quickly as he could. A moment later he ran toward a bus that was out of control, feeling it slam into his right shoulder. A few seconds later the bus came to a complete stop, Clark breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the bus empty save for an unconscious driver. Straightening his jacket, the young man walked back inside, unknown that his actions had been observed with great interest.

**Kent Farm-The Next Morning**

"How was Metropolis?" His Dad asked, and Clark grinned.

"It was nice. The museum had some interesting exhibits." Clark said, and Jonathan nodded, his expression thoughtful.

"Did one of those exhibits include an out of control bus?" Jonathan asked, throwing the morning's paper onto the table.

"It's fine dad, nobody saw me." He said, heading out the door before either of his parents could say another word. He was still furious over the events of the day he and Natasha returned to Smallville. Grant Ward was still a threat, not that Clark would ever say anything. His parent's would use it as further evidence of the supposed danger his relationship with Natasha caused, while the woman in question would most likely think he was overreacting. But the young man couldn't help it. As long as Ward was alive, there would always be a chance no matter how small, that he would come after Natasha again. Even if he totally ignored his anger towards Ward, there was still his parents. Neither one of them trusted him when it came to his abilities. All they were concerned about was the chance that someone might get hurt. He started running towards the school, only stopping when he reached the front doors. He walked inside, appearing his usual self. But inside he was a raging storm of emotions, just waiting to be unleashed.

**3 p.m.- Kent Farm**

Clark walked into the barn, intending to get his chores done before heading over to Natasha's apartment for their nightly training session. Well, he supposed it was Natasha and Skye's now, the young man smiling as he thought of his newest friend. She had made friends with Pete and Chloe almost immediately, and she seemed friendly enough with Lana. Aside from a few catcalls from some of the male students, her first day seemed to have gone off without a hitch. Although Clark had a sneaking suspicion that the paper she was working on in English wasn't what their teacher had assigned them.

The young man was broken from his thoughts as he saw a piece of silver metal laying on the barn floor.

"Metropolis PD." He muttered when he bent down to pick it up. A second later he was on his back, the farm's backup generator on his chest.

He just sighed before lifting it off of him, eyes already searching for whoever had dropped it on him.

"That's very impressive Mr. Kent." A man said as he walked down the steps of the loft.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The young man asked, his eyes never leaving those of the stranger.

"I'm Detective Sam Phelan. As for what I want...I want your help Mr. Kent. To help me catch the bad guys."

"And if I refuse?"

"Well, let's just say I know a few people who would be interested in what you can do. I'll be at that coffee shop in town tomorrow morning at 11. We can talk about your future." He replied before walking away, the young man watching him leave. Clark could have stopped him, could have broken bones or killed him, but that presented a problem. There was no telling who knew Phelan was here, and if he disappeared, more people could come looking for him. And if they found him, it wouldn't take long for them to find Natasha or Skye. Any thoughts of mentioning his encounter with the Detective were gone in an instant. No, he was better off handling this himself. He would find out what Phelan wanted, and then he would find some way to send the Detective packing.

**Natasha and Skye's Apartment- 7 p.m.**

"Enough. Clark, enough!" Natasha spoke up, the young man releasing Skye, and helping her off the floor.

"You okay?" He asked, and Skye nodded, wincing as she rubbed her collarbone.

"Go put some ice on that. We're done for tonight." Natasha said, and the younger woman nodded, leaving Natasha and Clark alone.

"Care to tell me what that was about?" She asked, and he glared.

"Taking care of the threat. In this case, Skye."

"The threat was neutrelized. Anymore pressure and you would have crushed her larnx. You need to remember that Skye isn't Bobbi. Or Ward."

"I'm well aware of who she is thank you very much."

"Are you? Because this is the second time tonight I've had to tell you to stop the exercise. You've been pushing it too far."

"I've been pushing it as far as necessary. If I wanted Skye seriously injured, she would be. But she's not. She's just bruised."

"And if I hadn't stopped you? How far would you have gone? Until you finally get rid of all the hate that you have for Ward?"

"No. Skye's not Ward. She's not-"

He stopped, not willing to mention Phelan. Natasha would want to deal with him, and Clark wanted to keep her as far away from the crooked Detective as he could.

"She's not who?" Natasha asked, but Clark shook his head.

"No one. I guess I'm just frustrated over Ward. I'll see you tomorrow." He said before walking out the door.

Natasha watched him go, wondering why Clark didn't just tell her what was wrong. Or rather, who had him worried. Because she knew Clark well enough to know when he was lying. And he had just lied right to her face.

**The Beanery- 11 a.m. the following morning**

Clark walked into the coffee shop, not really seeing anything. In his head he was remembering his conversation with Lex the previous evening. The billionaire had come by the barn, and told him that Phelan had asked about the incident with the bus. Or at least that had been his premise for coming to see the Luthor heir. Phelan had quickly made it clear that his interest was in Clark Kent. Lex had not told the Detective anything, but had warned his young friend that Sam Phelan was his father's man at the PD, and notsomeone Clark wanted digging into his life.

Clark's trip down memory lane was interrupted as he felt, rather than saw, Natasha behind him.

"You're following me now?" He asked without turning around.

"Can't a woman come and get a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning?" Natasha asked.

"She can...But you're not. Are you?" He asked, still not turning to face her.

"I don't do well when people I care about lie to me. I thought we didn't do that to each other Clark."

"I will explain things later, but right now I need you to go. Please. If you care about me at all I need you to-"

"Clark! I'm sorry I'm running a bit late, traffic was a bear." Sam Phelan said as he walked up to Clark, the Detective smiling and shaking Clark's hand as though they were old friends. Clark returned the handshake, exerting just enough force to make the older man wince.

Phelan recovered his smile quickly enough, and turned to Natasha, extending his hand.

"And who is this lovely woman with you Clark? Girlfriend?" He asked, and Natasha laughed, shaking her head.

"Fiancee actually. Joanne Fredricks. Pleased to meet you Mr.-"

"Sam Phelan at your service. I'm just meeting Clark to discuss a business opportunity."

"What kind of business are you in Mr. Phelan?" Natasha asked, and Phelan smiled.

"I'm a Detective with the Metropolis PD."

"And what exactly is it that you want with Clark Detective?"

"I'm afraid that's private. Now, if you'll excuse us?"

"But of course." She replied, embracing Clark softly.

"We're not done with this." She whispered in his ear.

He just smiled and returned her embrace, joining Phelan at a nearby table a moment later.

"She's quite the catch isn't she?" Phelan asked, and Clark glared.

"If you go anywhere near her-"

"Save your threats kid. Now, I need you to meet me at this address tonight." He said, pulling a piece of paper from his jacket and sliding it across the table.

Clark didn't move to take it.

"And if I refuse?"

"I'm sure there are quite a few labs who would love to know how to duplicate your abilities. And if that doesn't worry you...well let's just say I can make your loved ones lives very unpleasant."

Clark didn't say anything. He just took the paper and stood up.

"Relax Clark. Who knows? You might even enjoy taking down the bad guys."

Clark walked out of the building, resisting the urge to go and wring Phelan's neck.

"What did he want?" Natasha asked as she pulled up to the curb.

Clark just sighed and got in, not saying a word for several minutes.

"He wants me to meet him at an address tonight." He finally said, and Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"And...he knows about my powers."

"He threatened you?"

"Not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He threatened my parents...threatened you. And last time I talked to Lex, he told me that Phelan was on his father's payroll. That he was the last kind of man I wanted digging into my life."

"So your plan was to...what? Play Phelan's game and hope that once you do what he wants he'll just let you go?"

"Of course not. But I can't run every single time someone shows up wanting to expose me. That brings too many questions. And making Phelan disappear isn't exactly an option. There's no telling who he's told about where he is."

"So you're going to go tonight?" She asked after a moment.

"I don't see that I have a choice."

"Maybe you don't...But maybe you do."

**Metropolis- 10:30 p.m.**

"You see that building up there?" Phelan asked, and Clark nodded silently.

"That building up there is the home of the man responsible for keeping criminals on the streets. For making my job a whole lot harder than it needs to be. The head of Internal Affairs. There's a file in a safe. I want you to get it for me."

"Does it have your name on it?" Clark asked, and Phelan glared.

"Just get me that file."

Clark didn't respond, choosing instead to just run up into the building. He saw the safe drilled into the wall, and he smiled, remembering the plan he and Natasha had come up with.

"Hey kid, what's the holdup?" Phelan called from the street. It had been nearly five minutes and Clark sill hadn't come down with his file.

"You want the file?" Clark asked, coming up to the window with the safe over his head.

"It's all yours."

The young man lifted the safe over his head and threw it down onto Phelan's car, appearing next to the crooked Detective a moment later. He tossed a manila file onto the top of the safe, Phelan's name clear on the side in black ink.

Phelan glared at the young man, but before he could say a word, the lights and sounds of the Metropolis Police Department filled the air.

"You called the police?!" Phelan yelled, and Clark just smirked before speeding off.

**Two Days Later- Kent Farm**

"You know, you caused me a real problem kid." Phelan said as he walked into the barn.

"You asked for a file. I gave it to you." Clark replied, without turning aroud.

"Don't be a wiseguy. You've caused me some real trouble, and now I've got Internal Affairs even more interested in me than they were before."

"They maybe you should spend more time doing your job, and less time being a criminal with a badge."

"You know, it's easy to say that when you've got nothing to lose."

Phelan walked out, the young man having a feeling that this wasn't over by a long shot.

**7 p.m. - Kent Farm**

"You okay?" Clark asked as he helped Skye off the floor.

"I'm good. I've had worse from Ward." The brunnete replied, seeing Clark tense at the mention of the older man's name.

"Look, I know you're-"

"Excuse me." Clark said as he heard the doorbell ring. The young man walked over to the door, wondering if his parent's had forgotten their keys. They were heading over to the Luthor Mansion to meet with Lex and some other investors about a business deal that might get the bank off their backs.

"Sheriff Adams. Can I help you?" Clark asked as he saw her standing outside his door.

"Are your folks home Mr. Kent?"

"I'm sorry, but you just missed them. They had to head into town for a meeting." He replied, and she nodded.

"That's probably just as well. I get the feeling your father isn't fond of your girlfriend given her former profession."

"What's this got to do with her?" Clark asked, and the Sheriff sighed.

"Is she here?"

As Natasha's car was parked in front of the house, Clark saw no point in lying, and nodded his head.

"Now before I let you in, how about you tell me what's going on Sheriff?"

"What's going on is that I have a warrant to search your barn Mr. Kent. And for your girlfriend's sake, you'd best pray I don't find anything."

"You're not making sense Sheriff." Clark said, still not moving from where he stood in front of the door.

"I received a package today Mr. Kent. A package with this inside." She replied, pulling a plastic bag with a gun inside. But not just any gun. A Glock that looked exactly like the one Natasha kept in her desk door at Smallville High.

"Where did you get that?" Natasha asked as she came up behind Clark, Skye having been told to stay out of sight.

"There was no return address. But there was a note that gave me enough cause to believe this gun may have been used in a murder."

"And what? You think the body's stashed in my barn?" Clark asked with a glare.

"Just let me do my job Mr. Kent, and I'll be out of your hair."

He nodded once, and led the Sheriff and Natasha over to the barn. He opened the door, and felt his heart drop into his chest.

A dead body was lying on his barn floor.

"Natasha Romanoff you are-"

"No." Clark spoke up, stopping the Sheriff as she began to put cuffs on Natasha.

"Mr. Kent, I know you don't want to see this happen but-"

"She wasn't the last one to use that gun Sheriff. I was. I was pissed off about what we discussed earlier, and I decided to get in some target practice. But I didn't shoot anyone." He said, looking at Natasha as the Sheriff put cuffs on him, and began reading him his rights.

**Smallville Jail- 8:30 p.m.**

"Five minutes." The Sheriff said, and Natasha nodded in thanks before looking at Clark, who stood in the center of his cell wearing a bright orange jumpsuit.

"What the devil were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking the last thing I want is you in a cell, especially as Natasha Romanoff. How long would we have until Gonzalez or someone just as bad sent someone to kill you?"

Natasha glared, but nodded. Much as she hated to admit it, Clark had a point. If she had been arrested Phelan would still have leverage over him, and the chances of her being found and the both of them having to run again would have increased drastically. From a tactical standpoint, Clark had done the only thing he could. But from an emotional standpoint, Natasha was furious that he had been so reckless.

"I'll get you out of here." She said, and he smiled, reaching through the bars and taking her hand. He lifted it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

"I know."

"What are you going to do?" Sheriff Adams asked as Natasha walked past her.

"I'm going to finish this." She replied, without looking back.

**Metropolis Police Department- 10:00 p.m.**

"In a hurry Detective Phelan?"

Phelan turned from where he was clearing out his desk, only to fall flat on his back as Natasha punched him in the face. Before he had time to react, the woman was standing over him, one hand holding the crooked Detective by his tie while the other held a gun that was pressed against his head.

"Look Joanna, I don't know what you-"

"My name's not Joanna. It's Natasha. And it will be the last name you ever hear unless you call and confess to everything you've done. Otherwise I'll just blow your head off right now."

"Listen sweetheart-AHH!" He screamed as Natasha moved the gun back to his forehead. The former KGB spy had moved and fired her weapon in one motion, the silenced bullet putting a hole where Phelan's kneecap used to be.

"I'm not your sweetheart. What I am is the most dangerous woman in the world, and the last person you want as an enemy. Sadly for you, that's what I became the minute you started digging into Clark Kent. Now he's in jail right now on a trumped up charge."

"If you're so dangerous, why don't you get him out yourself?"

"Because that brings a lot of trouble. Namely, I would have to run away, and I kinda like it here. So that's a no no. Now, are you going to call an end to this farce or am I going to put a bullet in your head?"

"If you kill me, you'll be hunted. More questions will be-"

Natasha just laughed, cutting him off midsentence.

"Thanks for the concern, but I once killed a high-ranking British official in the heart of London, and I was never suspected. And let me tell you, there are so many camera's there that you can't even sneeze without some cop or MI-6 agent seeing it. So I'll have no problem's killing you and getting away with it. Now make up your mind before I make it up for you."

"I'll need a phone."

Natasha reached just past his head and grabbed the phone, dialing the number for the Sheriff's office.

"Sheriff Adams."

Natasha placed the phone against Phelan's ear, moving her weapon to just below his waist. The message was clear. If he said anything other than what was needed to get Clark out of jail, he would die. But he would be in a lot of pain before feeling death's sweet release.

"Sheriff, this is Detective Phelan. You got the package I sent?"

"I did. As a matter of fact, that package has a young man sitting in my jail cell. Well, that and the dead body that we found in his barn."

"Well I have good news. You can release him immediately."

"Oh, and why is that?" The Sheriff asked.

"Because I have uncovered new evidence that shows the young man in question was framed. That the body and gun were planted there deliberately."

"And what evidence is that?"

"I'm afraid that I can't go into detail right now. You'll just have to take my word until I can get to Smallville. I should be there in the morning."

"Well then, that's when I'll release my suspect. I don't know how you do things in Metropolis Detective, but in my town we don't let suspect's go based on someone's word. Until you can produce actual evidence, my suspect will remain in custody."

"Now Sheriff-" Phelan said, his eyes going back and forth from Natasha's eyes to the weapon she had covering a certain part of his anatomy.

"Now, I'm going to go hang up and enjoy myself a cup of coffee."

Natasha just looked at him, beginning to pull her finger back on the trigger.

"WAIT! I have your evidence!"

"I'm waiting." The Sheriff said in a seemingly bored tone.

"I did it! I killed the stiff in the barn and planted the gun!"

"You'll sign a written confession?" The Sheriff pressed, and Phelan hesitated. One look at Natasha was enough to convince him what the proper choice was.

"YES! I'll sign your confession! Just come arrest me already!"

"I'm on my way. You just sit tight y'hear?"

The Sheriff hung up, and Phelan breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Natasha move her weapon. His breath hitched when it came to rest beside his left ear.

"What are you doing? You said if I confessed, you'd let me live!"

"And you are alive. I never said I'd let you live long."

"Please, I...I won't say a word I swear!"

Sweat was pouring down his face, and he looked ready to pass out. Natasha just looked at him, unimpressed. She had never seen someone look so weak in the face of their own death. She had seen animals face the end with more dignity than this pathetic excuse of a man.

"I can't take that chance."

She brought her weapon back and swung it forward, the gun crashing into Phelan's skull.

An hour after she had hung up with Detective Phelan Sheriff Adams walked into the Metropolis Police Department to find it buzzing with more activity than usual, especially given that it was almost midnight. She approached a Detective, and asked where she could find Sam Phelan.

"Sam Phelan's dead Sheriff. His body was found twenty minutes ago by one of our janitorial staff. It looks like he committed suicide. There was a single bullet in the side of his head, and his gun was found on the floor beside his desk. We'll have to do analysis to be sure, but the gunshot wound looks self-inflicted."

"Do you have a guess as to why he may have committed suicide?"

"We don't have to guess Sheriff. Phelan left a note. Apparently he had framed some kid in your town for a murder he committed. He also admitted to a whole lot of other crimes. My guess is the stress was too much for him, and he finally cracked."

"I'm sorry for your Department's loss Detective. I only knew Phelan a short time, but he seemed like a good man. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go let somebody out of jail."

The Detective just nodded, already turning to speak to an approaching officer.

**Smallville Sheriff's Department- 1 a.m.**

"Well Mr. Kent, you're free to go. Just try and stay out of trouble."

He just laughed, nodding his head before walking out of the Sheriff's Department. His laugh died in his throat as he saw Jonathan and Martha Kent standing outside waiting for him.

"How was the meeting with Lex?"

**Kent Farm- 1:15 a.m.**

"A crooked cop knows your secret. He threatens you, threatens this family, and then proceeds to have you break into the home of another cop and you don't say a word. You get arrested, a dead body is found in my barn, and you don't say a word. You don't bother to call and say you're in trouble. You don't bother to step back for half a second, and think that maybe your mother and I should know that our lives could be uprooted in an instant? That our son could be taken, and we would never see him again?"

"No, I didn't. I was thinking that I didn't want you anywhere near a scumbag like Phelan. I was thinking that I should just kill him before he got too close."

"You don't mean that." His mother said, and Clark just sighed.

"Maybe I do. I don't want to kill again, but if it means that you are safe, then a few nightmares are a small price to pay."

Jonathan just shook his head, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. He turned to Natasha, who was sitting next to Clark.

"I want you gone. I want you out of town. You will not attempt to contact any member of this family again, and you will have nothing to do with my son. Otherwise, I will ensure that the authorities know exactly what you are."

"And what am I Mr. Kent?" Natasha replied, unfazed by the farmer's comments.

"You're a monster. You're the person who turned my son into a killer. Before you came to town, Clark would never have acted the way he has."

"You're right dad, I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have said a word about killing a man. I wouldn't have complained in the least about your double-standard. The fact that at fifteen years old, I'm apparently old enough to take on meteor infected lunatics, but I'm not responsible enough to play football. I would have kept quiet about the anger that has building inside of me for months, for years. Now I understand why I wasn't able to play sports as a kid. I understand you're worried. But that's no excuse for insisting on controlling every aspect of my life. Or for treating my best friend like she's some kind of monster. All she's done is care for me, and accept me. She's been everything I could have hoped for and more. I finally have someone I can be myself around, and you want to take that away from me. And the only reason is because she's unpredictable."

"She's dangerous." Jonathan said, and Natasha smirked.

"You're right. I am dangerous. And there is a price when people attack someone I care about. Sam Phelan paid that price tonight. And I promise you Mr. Kent, anyone who attempts to hurt your son will pay that price. Now, I for one am tired and need to get some sleep. Call me when you want to have an adult conversation."

She stood, and turned to Clark completely ignoring his parents.

"Run me home?"

"I'd love to."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As you can tell Jonathan and Martha are still being stubborn, but they'll come around eventually! Please read and review, and the next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it! Definitely before Christmas, so keep on the lookout!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Smallville High- 8 a.m.**

"So remind me how you managed to get out of gym class for the next week?" Clark asked Lana as they walked into the school.

"Running the annual blood drive does have it's perks. Speaking of, when can I put you down for?"

"I'll need to check my schedule. Excuse me, I need to talk to Miss Romanoff about an assignment." He said as he spotted the young woman entering her classroom.

"Sure thing. I'll see you around." She said, and Clark nodded before walking away. A moment later he had entered Natasha's classroom, the redhead smiling as she saw him.

"Good morning." She said, kissing him softly once the door was shut.

"Good morning to you too." He replied with a smile.

"So, you and Lana seem friendly." She said casually and Clark just looked at her.

"Is that a problem?" He asked, and she laughed.

"No. I couldn't care less who you're friend's are. As long as they're not crazy maniacs trying to kill you."

"Well, I do try to have some standards as to who I associate with."

"That's a good thing. But it wouldn't hurt for people to think you and Miss Lang are particularly friendly." She said, and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'm afraid I don't follow you."

"People should think that you are still in love with Lana Lang."

"Ignoring the fact that I have no romantic feelings for Lana whatsoever, why does it matter to you what people think?" He asked, trying to keep his voice even. He couldn't help the thoughts that went through his mind as he heard Natasha's words. Was she going to leave him as his father had demanded? Was she going to disappear in such a way that even he couldn't find her? Or worse, was she going to break up with him and stay in town? Would he have to see her face every single day, knowing what he had lost, never able to have it back again?

"Because I would rather the whole town not know we're together. If Lex was able to come to that conclusion, it's not inconceivable that others could too. Now please, don't think for a second that I am ashamed to be with you. Nothing could be further from the truth."

"But-"

"But when people do find out about us, I want it to be on our terms. I don't want you to be unable to live your life because you're with me. And if people get suspicious the rumors will start flying, and I don't think I need to tell you what they'll be."

"You seduced me. You corrupted the poor innocent farmboy. Or I came onto you. We had sex and-"

He stopped talking, blushing as he realized both what he had said, and what he hadn't.

"And you got me pregnant." Natasha finished, her blush only slightly more controlled than Clark's.

For a moment there was silence, both of them wondering what to say next. Natasha broke the silence first, deciding to address the elephant in the room so to speak. Most would say their relationship was still too new to be broaching this topic, but given all that they knew about each other and all they had been through, Natasha felt Clark deserved to know.

"I can't have children. It was part of my training. Sex was fine. In fact, my superior's would encourage it. But any lasting attachment couldn't be tolerated. So we were sterilized. It was designed to keep us loyal, keep us focused on the mission."

She said all of this in a cold and detached voice, refusing to allow her emotions to show. Refusing to allow the agony she felt when the one good thing that had come from her training had been ripped away from her to show on her face. As much as she trusted Clark, as much as she cared for him, she wasn't ready to share that part of her past with him. Not yet.

"I can't either. At least I don't think I can. My DNA isn't like a human's." He replied, and she nodded the two of them just looking at each other. Both of them silently asking if they would be enough. Not that there was any guarantee they would be together forever, but if their relationship got to the point where that was what they both wanted, would they be enough?

Both smiled, embracing the other as they saw that the answer was yes.

"So, not that I mind a visit from my boyfriend, but is there something in particular you wanted?" She asked when they broke their embrace a moment later.

"I need you to make me a legend."

"Care to step back and explain where all this is coming from?" She asked, and he nodded.

"We've been attacked. I have been attacked twice in less than two months. Both times, a large part of the reason we won is because of you. Now I'm not trying to sound egotistical, but I can't keep relying on your skills or your reputation to help with scum like Phelan and Gonzalez."

"What are you saying Clark?" Natasha asked softly.

"I'm saying that I need an edge. I need these scum to be just as terrified of me as they are of you. I want them so terrified that if they do decide to come after one or both of us, they understand that they won't walk away alive."

"I don't want you to have to kill again." She told him, and he smiled.

"I don't either. But I also don't want someone hunting us every few days. And they're less likely to do that if they fear for their lives."

Natasha just stood there in silence for a few moments, thinking it over. Oh, it wasn't that what Clark was asking was difficult. A couple months, a few phone calls and Clark Kent would be known by another name. As an assassin who was just as lethal and dangerous as she was. And truth be told, it wouldn't be a complete lie. He was certainly capable of becoming the most dangerous man on the planet. But she hated what would be required to make that happen.

"Clark, I won't lie to you. I have contacts that can create that legend, that can ensure that whatever name you decide to take becomes synonymous with the most dangerous assassin on the planet. But, I won't. Because the only way to do that is by killing. Again and again and again until your soul is consumed by the number of lives you've taken."

"Natasha-"

"No!" She told him fiercely. She wouldn't allow him to have his life taken from him. Not like hers was.

"I wasn't planning on killing anyone else. I was planning on taking a page from this." He said, opening his bookbag and tossing a copy of _The Bourne Identity _on her desk.

"Charlie is for Delta and Delta is for Cain. Cain is for Carlos." She recited and he looked at her in surprise.

"Don't look so shocked. Plane flights can get boring, and I've never been one for romance novels."

He just nodded, and then he smiled.

"So who's the top assassin right now? Aside from you and your brother?"

**Smallville High- 10:30 a.m.**

"Aimee's got a crush on Lex Luthor?!" Troy Palmer laughed as he pulled the diary from her hand. His friends laughed, but Aimee just glared.

"Girls want someone like Lex Troy. He's a real man. Unlike some people I could name."

"Why you-"

"Is there a problem here?" Natasha asked from behind him.

"No. No problem at all." He replied, handing Aimee her diary back.

"Good. Now I suggest you boys run along."

The boys left, and Natasha just sighed. Boys like that gave her a headache. Well, a headache and a very strong urge to hit something. However, that would have to wait until the end of the day.

"Thank you Miss Romanoff." Aimee said, and Natasha nodded, before she smirked.

"So...Lex Luthor."

Aimee blushed, and Natasha chuckled.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Unknown to Natasha, she wasn't the only one who had observed Troy's treatement of Aimee. And while the former KGB operative might be content with simply warning the young man, this person was not. They would have payback.

**Smallville High-12:00 p.m.**

"So, you and Chloe are good now?" Pete asked as he and Clark walked into the locker room after gym class.

"Yeah Pete. We're good." The young man told his friend. And they were good. Chloe seemed as though she had finally gotten around to accepting Natasha, at least to the point where she didn't want the former KGB spy dead or run out of town. And Clark figured that was all he could hope for at the moment.

"Hey guys this isn't funny anymore!" They heard Troy yell from the other side of the locker room. A moment later they heard a crash, both racing over just in time to find Troy getting off the floor.

"What happened man?" Pete asked.

"I...It was like a ghost. It attacked me!"

"Well whatever it was it's gone now." Clark replied.

**Luthor Mansion- 5 p.m.**

"Looking for something?" Clark asked as he walked into the mansion with several boquets of tulips. Lex stood up off the floor, taking the tulips from his friend.

"Thanks for bringing these over Clark. They're Victoria's favorite."

"No problem. But my mom said if you wanted anymore you'd have to order them from Granville. You cleaned us out." He said, and Lex chuckled before getting back down on his hands and knees.

"What are you looking for?"

"My watch." Lex replied.

"Why not just buy another one? I hear Rolex came out with a new one."

"I have hundreds of watches Clark. But this one's special. It was made from an old French coin with Napolean's face on it. And it was given to me by my mother just before she died."

"I..I'm sorry. I didn't know." He replied, and Lex smiled.

"How could you have? But since you're here, mind giving me a hand?"

"Not at all." Clark said as he looked over the room, going so far as to use his x-ray vision.

"I don't see it." He replied, and Lex chuckled.

"What are you Clark? Part bloodhound?"

"No. Of course not."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, the young farmboy getting the feeling that his friend didn't necessarily believe his answer.

"So, why Napolean?" He asked after a minute.

"Did you ever see the painting of Napolean's coronation?" Lex asked, and Clark shook his head.

"His mother couldn't make it, but when he commissioned the painting, he told the artist to paint her in as though she was there anyway. He brought her in through sheer force of will."

"Well I don't think sheer force of will is going to find that watch." Clark said as he stood up and walked out of the study, intent on searching the rest of the house. A few moments later Clark walked into the library, seeing Victoria sitting at Lex's laptop. Now most wouldn't think much of a woman using her boyfriend's (or whatever Lex was to Victoria) computer, but the speed with which she closed the computer once Clark entered along with the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat, told the young man that she was probably not just checking her email.

"It's Clark isn't it?" She asked as she stood up from the desk.

"Yes m'am." He replied calmly.

"I'm looking for Lex's watch. You haven't seen it have you?"

"No, I haven't. But things always have a way of turning up." She replied before walking out of the library.

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

"Find anything?" Clark asked as he walked back into the room where Lex was.

"A whole lot of books I've never read. What about you?"

"Not a darn thing. Where's Victoria?" He asked and Lex raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the minibar.

"Taking a bath. Why? Are you thinking we should double date with you and Natasha?" Lex asked and Clark chuckled.

"I don't know about Natasha, but that's a little more high-profile than I'm ready for. But, there is a problem with Victoria. When I was in the library looking for your watch I-"

"She was going through my computer wasn't she?"

"You don't sound surprised. Or the least bit annoyed." Clark said, and Lex laughed.

"Clark, very little happens in this house without my knowledge, and as for being annoyed...it's just chess."

"I'm afraid I don't follow you. If you don't love her, why let her stay in your house? Why be around her at all?"

"Victoria's father Sir Harry owns a company which happens to be Luthorcorp's biggest rival. He has been buying up company stock for month's, but in order to get rid of my father he needs my shares."

"So Victoria is here to what? Convince you that selling your shares is a good idea?"

"You make it sound like such a bad thing." Lex said, and Clark just shook his head.

"I just can't wrap my head around a father using his child like a pawn in some game."

"Not every father can be Jonathan Kent. And not every woman can be Natasha Romanoff."

Any reply Clark may have given was preempted by the sound of Victoria's scream from upstairs.

The two men ran upstairs, seeing Victoria struggling to keep her head above water. A moment later she was sitting up, getting as much air into her lungs as she could. Lex ran over to her, putting a towel around her body while Clark averted his eyes.

**The Torch 7 a.m. the next morning**

"And Lex swore that he felt somebody run right past him." Clark said as he finished telling Chloe and Skye what had happened the night before.

"So we're dealing with invisible men now?" Skye asked.

"Looks that way. But looks like all things can be decieving." Chloe said as she picked up a cloth on her desk and rubbed it over her left ring finger. Her finger seemed to disappear before their eyes.

"Neat trick." Skye observed, and Chloe chuckled before turning the cloth over and rubbing her finger again. The blonde held out her hand, showing all five fingers were once again visible.

"Turns out that Troy reported his incident in the locker room to the Sheriff. I got a copy of the report which indicated that the dumbell he was hit with had a fluid on it. Fluid from a rose that has grown in Smallville for more than thirty years."

"Right in one. Now the only question is who would want Victoria dead."

"I think I might have an answer to that." Natasha said as she walked into the office.

"Amiee Porter. I broke up an argument between her and Troy yesterday morning."

"And less than two hours later Troy winds up hurt." Skye muttered.

"She also has quite the crush on Lex Luthor."

"Doesn't her family live at the mansion?" Clark asked, and Chloe nodded.

"Yeah. They came to town when Lex did." She replied, just as the bell rang.

"We'll finish this later. We have to go to class."

**Smallville High- 12:30 p.m.**

"Clark!" Lana called to him as he walked down the hall.

"We never set a time for you to donate. When can I put you down for?" She asked, pulling out her clipboard.

"I've kinda got this thing about needles. Maybe I could just pass out flyers or something." He suggested, and she smiled.

"Well I could use a hand organizing times for everyone. Maybe you can come by my house tonight, give me a hand?"

"Sure thing." He replied, just as Aimee walked by them. He focused his x-ray vision, seeing a watch that most definitely wasn't sold in Metropolis.

**Luthor Mansion- 6 p.m.**

"I'm sorry about this Joanne, but I have to be sure." Lex said as he walked past Aimee's mother, heading straight for the closet at the back of the girl's room. He opened it, completely shocked by what he saw. News articles, pictures and drawings covered every spare inch of the closet, and they all had one thing in common. Each and every one featured Lex Luthor. And sitting on the dresser in the middle of the closet was the watch that Lex's mother had given him all those years ago.

"Mr. Luthor, I...I swear to you we had no idea-"

"I understand Joanne." Lex said as he put the watch back on his wrist. "But Aimee obviously needs help. Send me the bill, no matter what it costs. However, I think it would be best for everyone if you leave the mansion tonight."

"Of course Mr. Luthor." She replied, and Lex nodded as he and Clark left the room.

"Thank you Clark. But how did you know that Aimee had my watch."

"I didn't. But Natasha broke up a fight earlier, and it seemed that Aimee's crush on you was the cause."

"Then I guess I'm grateful that the beautiful Miss Romanoff happens to be your girlfriend. Tell her I said thank you."

"I'll do that." Clark replied, before walking out of the mansion. As Lex turned, and headed back to his study, invisible eyes glared at where Clark Kent had stood mere seconds earlier. The plan had been changed. Lex Luthor could wait. However, Natasha Romanoff's time had come.

**Natasha's Apartment- 6:30 p.m.**

"So it looks like you were right. Aimee had Lex's watch." Clark said as he walked into the apartment.

"She probably just wanted to feel close to him. Or at least that's the way she would see it." Natasha said after she had greeted her boyfriend with a kiss.

"Yeah, well that's a little too close. The whole closet was some kind of collage or something of all things Lex. It was like she was collecting him or something." He replied, and Natasha just shook her head. The girl sounded like Colson and his precious Captain America cards. Except that Colson understood the difference between collecting a few cards, while it was likely that Aimee wouldn't have stopped until she collected a person.

"Lex told me to tell you thank you. We wouldn't have found the watch if you hadn't told me about that fight." He replied, and Natasha smiled.

"That was nice of him. Now can you stay for dinner? Skye should be back in just a bit. She and Pete were studying for my test tomorrow."

He smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that. Thank you." He replied in Russian, and she just laughed before the two walked to the kitchen.

**Lana's House- 8:45 p.m.**

"I've got station B at 4:30." Lana said, and Clark nodded from where he sat next to her on the porch.

"And I have station A at 5:00, which means that we are done." He replied, and she looked over at him in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"Thank you Clark. You're a lifesaver." She told him and he grinned.

"My pleasure." He replied, and the two sat in comfortable silence for several minutes before Lana broke it.

"Clark, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"I think you just did." He replied, and the brunette just rolled her eyes.

"What do you want to know Lana?" He asked with a smile.

He only hoped that she wasn't about to ask about his powers. He would have to lie, and even though he knew that it was necessary, he hated having to lie to his friends.

"What's going on with you and Miss Romanoff?"

Clark kept his expression blank, but inwardly he was cursing himself. First Chloe and now Lana thought that there was something going on between him and Natasha. The problem was that they were right. Well it wasn't a problem per say...he was quite happy to be dating Natasha. The problem was that it was looking more and more like the whole town would know before too long. And that would bring problems that neither he or Natasha needed to deal with at the moment. So as much as he hated to do it, he looked Lana in the eye and lied.

"There is nothing going on between Miss Romanoff and I. She's my teacher, and that's it."

"Then there's nothing stopping me from kissing you is there?" She replied, leaning towards him.

"Lana, I can't do this." He replied, placing a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from leaning forward anymore.

Regardless of the fact that he and Natasha needed to keep their relationship a secret, he would rather tell the entire world they were together than betray her trust in him. He was in a committed relationship, and that meant he did not kiss anyone other than Natasha.

"Because there is something between you and Miss Romanoff." She said, and Clark just sighed. What was he supposed to do? If he denied it again, that made it look like he was lying. If he stormed off in a rage, or tried to change the subject, he looked like he was lying. There was only one thing he could do.

"Yes, Natasha and I are together. And I am asking you to keep that to yourself. The last thing she needs is for people to think she's anything but my teacher."

"I'll keep your secret Clark. And thank you for trusting me with the truth."

He nodded, feeling as though a great weight had left him now that Lana had agreed to keep her silence. But almost immediately he felt a new weight pressing down on his shoulder's as he thought about Natasha's reaction to Lana knowing the truth. One thing was certain...She was not going to be happy.

**Luthor Mansion- Same Time**

"Well, I see Clark isn't the only one who shows up in my home unannounced." Lex said as Natasha walked into his study.

"Clark told me about what happened with Aimee. I wanted to come by, see how she was doing." She replied, and Lex raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me Miss Romanoff, do you usually take such a vested interest in your students?"

"Let's just say I don't like seeing a girl get bullied. I just wanted to ensure that she was doing okay, that's all." She replied evenly.

"Well I'm afraid you just missed her. Your hunch on my watch was right on. Aimee's half way to Metropolis by now."

Before Natasha could reply, the doors to the study slammed shut behind her.

"You both should have just done the right thing!" A voice called, and Natasha sighed. It appeared things had just gotten really complicated.

**Lana's House- 9 p.m.**

"Yeah Chloe?" Clark asked as he answered his phone. He had spent the last few minutes talking with Lana, who thankfully understood or at the very least accepted that he wouldn't tell her anything about him and Natasha.

If he had, that would have meant both their secrets being exposed, and Clark wasn't going to allow that to happen. And thankfully she also understood that he would need to continue to appear as though he had a crush on her.

"I just got a call from my friend that got me the report on Troy. There was blood on the dumbell."

"Troy's?" Clark asked.

"No. Troy's type B. This blood was type A." She replied, and Clark reached for the chart he and Lana had been using.

"Aimee's type O. She didn't attack Troy." He replied, still looking through the chart.

"Clark look at this." Lana said, pointing to the bottom of the chart.

"Jeff. He's type A."

"Jeff? As in Aimee's brother?" Chloe asked, and Clark nodded though she couldn't see it.

"Yeah."

"But he's always so quiet. It's almost like he's-"

"Invisible?" Clark finished.

"I'll talk to you later Chloe." He said as he stood up. He hung up and walked away before Lana or Chloe could say a word, the previous attacks running through his mind. Now that he knew who was responsible for the attacks, the motive was clear. Jeff had been trying to make Aimee happy. Troy had been attacked because he had been bullying Aimee. Victoria had been attacked because she was seen to be in the way of Aimee getting together with Lex. But now Aimee was gone...Because of Natasha! He had talked to Lex based on Natasha's information, and Lex had kicked Aimee's family out of the mansion as a result. Which meant that Jeff's next target's were either Lex or Natasha. The only question that remained was which one?

**Luthor Mansion- Ten minutes earlier**

"Aimee?" Natasha asked, only to receive a cold laugh in response.

"No. Then again Miss Romanoff, I'm not surprised that you thought I was Aimee. Most people forget that she even has a sibling."

"Jeff. You don't have to do this. You can just leave, and nothing has to happen." Lex said, only to find himself thrown against the wall.

"NOTHING HAS TO HAPPEN?!" Jeff raged, the young billionaire barely conscious enough to look towards the direction of the young man's voice.

"That was always your problem Luthor. Aimee was devoted to you, she loved you, but that was never going to be enough for you! WAS IT?!"

"Jeff, that kinda love could get me arrested."

"I'm sure Miss Romanoff could explain how it works. After all, age didn't seem to stop her. I wonder what everyone would think when they find out that Lex Luthor isn't the only one obsessed with Clark Kent."

Natasha didn't have much time to ponder that comment because Jeff had picked up a mace that was hanging on the wall. A mace that was now swinging straight towards Lex Luthor's head. And given that the billionaire was barely conscious as it was, there was no way he would be able to dodge it. If Natasha was honest, she didn't think he would be able to dodge it even if he wasn't injured. Natasha pulled the gun she always carried at her ankle and fired towards where the mace was.

She heard a muttered curse and the mace fell, digging into Lex's leg. He would hurt for a while, but he would live.

Jeff fell to the ground, the now visible young man clutching his shoulder.

"You shot me!" He yelled, and Natasha nodded.

"I did. You're lucky I couldn't see you." She replied, walking over to him, moving his hand so that she could take a look at the wound.

"You'll live." She replied, and he just glared at her.

"You hurt a lot of people."

"Nobody was supposed to get hurt. All I wanted was to make sure my sister was happy."

Natasha nodded before reaching behind the teen, pinching a nerve on his neck. Two seconds later he was out cold on the floor. She walked to where Lex sat against the wall, finding the billionaire unconscious. She smiled. Now all that was left to do was make a call and deal with Lex's camera's.

**Luthor Mansion- Now**

"Lex! Lex!"

"In here Clark." Natasha called, and Clark ran into the study, eyes taking in the scene. Once he had determined there was no threat, he walked over to Natasha and embraced her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and she nodded.

"I'm fine. Lex and Jeff are hurt, but they'll live."

"Good shot." He said, looking over her shoulder at Jeff's unconscious form.

"Thank you." She replied with a smile.

"Lex didn't-"

"No, I don't think he saw me. I called Colson. He'll deal with Jeff,, help him get better."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Not totally. But it beats Belle Reve." She replied, and he nodded.

"Alright then. Now, just what the devil were you thinking?" He asked, and her smile fell.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Coming to Lex's on your own when we thought Aimee was behind this? You should have-"

"I should have what? Told you first? Asked your permission?" She asked, and he glared.

"That's not what I meant. I just don't like the idea of you going into a dangerous situation alone."

"It wouldn't be the first time." She replied calmly.

"Well if I have any say in the matter, it will be the last. I don't want to lose you Natasha." He said softly, and she smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere. But just know, that works both ways. I don't want you going into a dangerous situation alone either." She replied, and now it was his turn to smile.

"Agreed. Now, shall we get out of here?" He asked, but she shook her head.

"I need to erase the security footage on Lex's camera's. And then I need to set up a meeting for your legend."

"Where are we going?"

"No we. Just me. My contact is a bit paranoid. Any unknown variables and he'll bolt."

"Natasha-"

"I'll call if I need you. But I have to do this alone." She told him. For a long moment, Clark just stared into her eyes. Then he nodded once.

"But you call me the second you get in trouble, understand? I'll keep an ear out." He replied, and she nodded as well.

"Have you thought of a name?" She asked, and he smirked.

"Jason Bourne."

She smiled, kissing him softly before he walked out of the study, leaving Natasha alone with the unconscious Lex. Five minutes later Natasha had removed all evidence of the security footage, just as Lex was regaining consciousness.

"Natasha? What-"

"What happened is that I just saved your life. Which means you owe me. Now, don't say a word. Just stay quiet until I'm done. I heard what Jeff said about Clark. And that is how you will pay me back. You will stop looking into Clark Kent. If he's your friend like you say he is, that shouldn't prove too difficult."

"And if I don't?" He asked, standing up, the billionaire wincing from the pain in his leg.

"You don't want to know the answer to that." She replied before walking out of the room.

Lex stood there for several long moments after she had left, finally deciding that he would do as she asked. He would put his investigation into Clark Kent on hold. After the conversation he had just had, he felt that moving his investigation into Natasha Romanoff to the top of the list would prove much more...insightful.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As for Clark's legend, that will be relevant later in the story! Please read and review, and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**Unknown Location- 3 a.m.**

"It has been a long time Natasha." The man said as he slid into the booth opposite her. The former KGB operative didn't respond, choosing instead to take a sip of her vodka before speaking.

"The favor you owe me. I'm calling it in." She said, pulling a folder from underneath the table and sliding it across to her companion.

The man opened the folder, seeing Clark's picture staring back at him. He laughed softly, favoring Natasha with a grin.

"You help children now? I thought the great Black Widow served no one but herself. Or were the rumor's of you working for those dog's in SHIELD true after all?"

Natasha's face darkened, and when she spoke it was in a low, measured tone.

"I serve my own interest's. Which are none of your concern. All that matter's is what I need done."

He smiled, accepting the fact that the subject was now closed. He flipped through the folder, nodding here and there, letting out a laugh as he came to the final page.

"Jason Bourne? You want me to forge identification for a Jason Bourne?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"No. I want you to create a trail. A trail that links Jason Bourne to this man."

She slid another folder across the table, her contact's eyes widening as he beheld the name.

"Why would you want me to link someone named Jason Bourne to- No. NO! I will not do this! You are mad! If he suspects-"

"If you do it right, then he will never suspect you. Besides, he'll be too preoccupied trying to find Jason, and making more kills to keep up his reputation." She replied easily, but the man shook his head.

"No. We may work in shadow, but there has always been honor. Allowing another to take credit for-"

"You owe me. If it wasn't for me you would be lying dead in a Russian Gulag. Or an Iranian prison. A German-"

The man held up his hand, nodding once.

"Very well. You have made your point. But if I do this...If I put this Bourne in play, if I allow him to take credit for another's kills then any debt I owe you has been repaid."

"As long at it is done to your usual standards. And I need one more thing." She said, handing him a final folder. The man opened it, holding it away from him as though it contained a bomb. Not that Natasha could blame him. What Natasha was asking was tantamount to signing his own death warrant. But she knew he would do as she asked. Partly because he owed her. But his larger motive would be much more selfish. He valued his life. And he knew that the only thing spies and professional killers truly hated were those that couldn't keep their mouths shut.

He opened the last file, nodding after a moment.

"I will have this done within two weeks. As for Jason Bourne...I hope you are prepared for the war that is coming."

Natasha nodded, shaking his hand before departing, the man following suit a moment later.

**Smallville- 8 a.m.**

"How's Whitney doing?" Clark asked as he, Lana and Skye rode their horses through the woods outside of town.

"His dad's still in the hospital, and I can tell it's eating away at him. His mom never leaves, so he's stuck managing the store on his own. I think he wants his dad to sell the place so he dosen't have to deal with it for the rest of his life." She said, and Clark nodded.

"Running a family business isn't easy. I can't say I want to spend the rest of my life on a farm."

"So what do you want to do?"

Clark sighed. If he was honest with himself, he could think of a few things. But that wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with Lana. He wanted to talk to Natasha first. Because he knew that no matter what he did, he wanted her to be part of his life. So he just smiled and shook his head.

"I don't know. I just know that I don't want it to involve putting on a suit and flying around all the time."

Lana laughed, stopping as the two heard Skye mutter a curse as she almost got hit by a tree branch.

"Somebody remind me why I decided to tag along on this little excursion?"

"Because Chloe's busy looking into the death of that EPA representative." Clark supplied with a grin and Skye chuckled.

"That's right. She also seems to think these woods are the Bermuda Triangle of Smallville." She said with a roll of her eyes.

Skye had seen some weird stuff when she was with SHIELD, but she thought that Chloe sometimes saw connections where none existed. Like her idea that Bob Rickman, some scumbag CEO according to Chloe, was responsible for the suicide of a Kansas EPA representative in Metropolis.

Skye was so lost in thought that she actually did hit a tree branch a minute later, the camera flying from her hand.

"Crap." She muttered. That was Chloe's new camera. If it was ruined, Skye was so dead.

"I'll get it." Lana said, turning her horse around and heading just down the trail to where the camera had dropped.

"So she can join SHIELD, but she can't ride a horse to save her life." Clark said quietly, and Skye punched him in the arm.

"Jerk."

Clark just grinned in response.

"AHH!"

"Lana!" Clark said as he heard her scream. In an instant he had jumped from his horse and raced away from where Skye was, leaving nothing but dust and a shocked Skye in his wake.

Clark arrived just in time to see Lana on the ground, being shaken by someone.

"Hey. What are you doing?" Clark called, the other man running away at his words. Disregarding the man for the moment, Clark ran over just as Lana came to.

"Hey. Are you okay?" He asked, helping her stand up.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Who was that guy?" She asked, and Clark shook his head.

"I don't know. But I think I know a way to find out." He said, spying the camera a few feet from where they stood. The red light indicated that it was still recording.

**Kent Farm- 4 p.m.**

"That looks like Kyle Tippet." Jonathan said as he, Martha and Clark watched the tape of the man shaking Lana.

"The guy who sells those old statues in town?" Clark asked, and Jonathan nodded.

"Well I think Nell is going to have a field day with that one. She just called. She wants you to go tell the Sheriff that you saw Kyle spook Lana's horse and attack her." Martha said as she walked into the room.

"But that's not what I saw. It looked like Kyle was just trying to make sure she's okay."

"Well I have a feeling she's not going to let this go easily." Martha replied, and Clark sighed, standing up and grabbing his coat.

"I'm going to go talk to Kyle, see what he has to say."

"Clark are you sure-"

"Dad, it's not like he can hurt me. Besides, I know what it's like to be cut off from the rest of the world." He replied, and Jonathan nodded.

"Okay. You know where he lives?"

"I'll just follow the trail of old statues." He replied before walking out the door. He would go talk to Kyle. But he needed to make a stop first.

**Natasha's Apartment- 4:15 p.m.**

"What's going on?" Natasha asked as she walked into the room.

Skye jumped at the sound of the other woman's voice, fighting to keep her expression blank as she met Natasha's gaze.

"Not much. How was your trip?"

"Productive. Now what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Skye." Natasha said quietly, walking over to her.

"When I went riding with Lana and Chloe this morning my camera fell. Lana went to get it and then she screamed. And Clark-"

"Raced after her?" Natasha asked, and Skye nodded.

"You don't seem surprised. Or worried that I know his secret." She said, and Natasha smiled. Skye only knew part of Clark's secret.

"Well for one, I already knew. And two, if I thought you were going to tell the whole world, I would have already killed you."

"Good to know." Skye replied, just as Clark walked through the door.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he walked over to her.

"I'm fine." She replied, kissing him softly.

"Everything's going according to plan?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Somebody wanna fill me in?"

"Nothing important." Natasha said, and Skye nodded.

"Okay then. I'm just going to head out and grab a cup of coffee. Anybody want anything?"

"No thanks." Clark said, and Natasha shook her head.

Skye walked out, leaving the two alone.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Natasha asked, and Clark told her what had happened that morning.

"Let's go." She said and Clark nodded, not moving.

"Was there something else?" Natasha asked.

"Lana knows about us."

"For a spy and an alien, we aren't very good at keeping our relationship secret are we?" She asked, and he chuckled.

"I guess not. But Lana agreed to keep it quiet, and she's going to help me play up my 'attraction' to her." He said, and she nodded.

"Good. Now let's go talk to Kyle."

"You know that this is private property." Kyle said as he walked out of his trailer.

"We know. I'm-"

"Clark Kent. Jonathan and Maratha's son."

"You're well informed for a guy who lives in the woods." Natasha said, and the man grinned.

"I live in the woods, not a cave. Or haven't you two heard of crazy Kyle? Apparently I'm a cross between Bigfoot and the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Look, we're not here to harass you. We just want to know what happened between you and Lana."

"The girl from this morning. The horse got spooked, and I saw it happen. I just checked to make sure she was okay. That's it." He said, and Natasha nodded.

"Okay. Thank you for your time Kyle."

He nodded, and the two left, both thinking the same thing. Kyle Tippet may be a loner, but he wasn't lying.

**The Beanery- 7 p.m.**

Clark walked into the coffee shop, seeing Lana at a table.  
"Lana. Are you okay?" He asked, and she nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I'm okay. My Aunt told me that you went and talked to the police?"

"No. I actually went to talk to Kyle."

"You went to talk to that lunatic?" Whitney asked, having come over just in time to hear what Clark had said.

"Yeah, I did. He told me he didn't do anything except try and make sure you were okay." Clark said to Lana, acting as though the Quarterback wasn't even there.

"Sure. Well if I had been there I would have done something." Whitney interjected, and Clark just sighed before standing up.

"I'm glad you're okay Lana." He said, and she smiled.

Clark got up and walked out of the coffee shop, seeing Kyle Tippet walking out of Bob Rickman's campaign office.

"Kyle! Everything alright?" He asked, and Kyle nodded.

"Just fine." He replied, but Clark wasn't convinced.

"What were you doing in Bob Rickman's campaign office?"

"Let's just say we don't see eye to eye." He replied, and Clark nodded.

"I'm surprised that you even know about Rickman." He said, and Kyle rolled his eyes.

"I live in a trailer in the woods, not under a rock. I had to come get some groceries."

"Let me give you a ride."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" He asked, and Clark grinned.

"I figure you're not a bad guy. You just don't like people."

"I appreciate it. Where's the truck?"

Clark led Kyle over to the truck, not seeing Whitney talking to Bob Rickman.

**Kyle's Trailer- 7:30 p.m.**

"Thanks for the lift Clark. And tell your friend I'm sorry for scaring her."

"I'll do that. See you around?" He asked, making them both laugh.

A few minutes later Clark left, barely taking note of the truck going the opposite direction. However, a minute later he stopped as he realized that he knew the owner of that other vehicle. That was Whitney's truck, and given that it was after dark, Clark kind of doubted the other teen was just out for a drive. He stopped the car and got out, racing back to Kyle's just in time to see Kyle dodge a pipe that Whitney swung at him. Clark ran over and caught Kyle's next punch, knocking him to the ground even as he headbutted Whitney, causing the other boy to drop the pipe.

"Kent? Where am I? What's going on?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Clark asked, and Whitney shook his head.

"No. Last thing I remember is talking to that Rickman guy."

**Rickman's Campaign Office- Same Time**

"Lex. This is a surprise." Bob Rickman said as Lex walked into his office. The billionaire just favored the other man with a glare before he spoke.

"I hear you're trying to expand your toxic waste dump into my town."

"What's the matter Lex? Scared of a little competition?"

"Hardly. Smallville is my home now."

Rickman chuckled at his words.

"That's right. Lionel mentioned he had exiled you when we had dinner last week."

"How did that happen? Did someone more important cancel on him?" Lex shot back, and Rickman laughed.

"Careful Lex. You'll never go back to Metropolis if you can't keep your emotions in check. Come look at where I'm going to build my factory." Rickman said, unrolling a map.

"The Kent farm? You'll never get it. Jonathan Kent would die before he would sell that farm."

"We'll see." Rickman replied, and Lex just smiled.

"The Kent's are my friend's. Stay away from them." He said, walking out before Rickman could respond.

**Kent Farm- 9:00 p.m.**

"So Kyle gets booked for aggravated assault, Whitney gets a warning and I am stuck here for the night." Clark said as he finished telling Lex what had happened.

"You know, most guys would just call their girlfriend."

"Most guys don't have parents who would like nothing better than to see their son's girlfriend run out of town. Besides, they don't know that Natasha and I are dating."

"Probably smart. I can't see Jonathan Kent being okay with his son dating a teacher. No matter how attractive she may be."

"Lex..."

"Relax Clark. I'm not going to try anything. Besides, something tells me I'd get shot down. No pun intended."

Clark just laughed, not doubting for a second that Natasha would shoot Lex if she believed it necessary.

"Anyway, I did come by for a reason. What do you know about Bob Rickman?"

"The guy that just moved into town? Not much, except for the fact that he wants to build some kind of chemical plant. Oh, and Chloe thinks he's involved with some suicide that happened in Metropolis."

"You don't buy it?"

"I think Chloe sometimes sees things that aren't there. Anyway, why did you want to talk about Rickman?" He asked, and Lex glared.

"I stopped by his campaign office today. He wants to buy your farm and use it as the site of his new plant." Lex said, and Clark laughed.

"C'mon Lex. You and I both know that there is no way my dad would ever sell. I mean if he's not going to take your help, then there's no way he'll sell to Rickman."

Lex just nodded before heading out of the barn. He hoped his friend was right.

**Natasha and Skye's Apartment- 12:30 a.m.**

"You know, most guys come to see their girlfriend at a normal hour." Skye said as she opened the door.

"I'm not a normal guy. In fact, none of the three of us are exactly normal are we?" He asked, walking inside.

"Oh by all means, please come right in." Skye said sarcastically.

"Thanks. Hi beautiful." He said, walking over and kissing Natasha.

"Hi yourself handsome. Now, not that I mind our late night chats, but I get the feeling this is more than wanting to get over a nightmare."

Despite himself, Clark couldn't help but smile as he remembered what happened when Natasha helped him get over his nightmares. The conversation was helpful, there was no doubt about it, but being able to wake up with her in his arms...well if that wasn't the best feeling in the world, Clark didn't know what was. Natasha smiled in return, knowing what was going through his mind, and also knowing that his presence kept her own demons at bay.

Unfortunately Skye was unaware of what they were thinking, and flushed bright red as she thought about how Natasha must help Clark get over a nightmare.

"So you two..."

"No. No." Clark said, and Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"So the idea of sex with me-"

"Is absolutely fabulous, but nothing either of us are ready for." He said, and Natasha laughed.

"I know. I'm just teasing you."

"Wait, so when Gonzalez told your folks that you were sleeping with Natasha..." Skye said, and Clark laughed.

"I was. Just sleeping."

"As fun as it is to correct Skye's misconception's of our relationship, I'm assuming that's not the reason you came by?" Natasha asked, and Clark shook his head.

"Not exactly. Has Bob Rickman ever popped up on your radar?"

"No. Should he have?"

"Probably not. But after we talked to Rickman, I talked to Whitney and Lana at the Beanery. Told them that I went and talked to Kyle."

"Bet Fordman loved that." Skye muttered.

"Not really. But that's beside the point. When I left the Beanery, I ran into Kyle, gave him a ride back to his trailer. I was heading back towards town when Whitney passed me. So I got out, and when I got back to Kyle's, Whitney was trying to brain him with a pipe. It took them both down. But the strange thing is, I don't think Whitney was in his right mind. He had no idea where he was, and the last thing he remembers was talking to Bob Rickman."

"Let me guess...He only stopped attacking Kyle once you took him down?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah. How'd you guess?"

"Because when Loki invaded New York, he took control of Clint's mind. The only thing that snapped him out of it was when I knocked him out."

"Do you think he might have a way to make sure Rickman can't do this to anyone else?" Skye asked, and Natasha nodded.

"He told me he was working on something before HYDRA almost took out SHIELD."

"How soon could he have it ready?" Clark asked, and Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Depends on how far he's gotten. Why? Did Rickman threaten you?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"No. I've never met the guy. But he wants to build a chemical plant in Smallville. And he wants my farm to be ground zero."

"Your father would invite me to move in before he sold your farm."

"Ignoring how nice that idea sounds, you're right. And I don't want Bob Rickman to get the chance to use his abilities on my father."

Natasha nodded, pulling out her phone.

"Clint, we need to see you. Now."

"Is he close?" Skye asked, and Clark chuckled.

"Yeah, Clark Kent. Have you met me? Anywhere's close."

"You're cocky." Natasha said with a grin.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He replied with a smirk before kissing her.

"Did I say that?" She asked when she broke the kiss.

"Can we please get to the part where we stop the suspected bad guy from getting his hands on your farm?" Skye interjected.

"Yeah. We'll be back in a few." Clark said before picking up Natasha and running out of the house.

**Barton Farm- 12:45 a.m.**

"You can put her down now." Clint said from where he stood on the porch, coffee cup in hand.

"I'm glad that you can recognize my ability to do something so simple." Clark replied, and Natasha laughed with Clint joining in a moment later.

"Now what's going on? You just committed coitus interupptes, and Laura was wearing this great-"

"We didn't come to hear about your sex life Barton." Natasha interrupted.

"What's going on?" He asked again, all playfulness gone from his tone.

"There's a guy in town that wants to build his chemical plant on our farm. Now, my dad would never sell, but I think this guy has a way to make him."

"Blackmail?" Clint asked, and Natasha shook her head.

"More like mind control." She replied, and Clint's eyes darkened at the thought of what Loki had done to him.

"Natasha said you were working on something. Something that could stop what happened to you."

"Well, it's more Stark's design then mine, but I've got something." He said, and Clark nodded.

"Good. Saves us from having to go talk to Tony Stark."

"What's wrong with Tony?"

"You mean besides being an egotistical jerk?" Natasha asked.

"Yes. Besides that." Clint deadpanned.

"I don't like his attitude towards women." Clark said, and Clint grinned.

"You told him about Natalie Rushman didn't you?"

"Yes I did."

"Did she show you the photos?" He asked.

"I offered. He declined. Some people understand how to be a gentleman." She replied, and Clint gave his sister a mock-glare.

"I can be a gentleman. How do you think I got Laura to marry me?"

"She was drunk?" Clark offered, and Natasha laughed while Clint just glared.

"Real funny kid. Now come on before I change my mind about helping you."

Clark just grinned, taking Natasha's hand before following the archer to his barn. As they walked, Clark couldn't help but think that this was what he wanted. To be free to hold Natasha's hand without caring if other people saw. To be able to kiss her and not worry about what his parents might say. And the young man promised that one day he would be able to.

"So, this is it." Clint said, walking to the far corner of the barn and pulling out a few arrows.

"I'm not much of an archer." Clark said.

"How are you with a gun?"

"He's a specialist." Natasha replied, and Clint just looked at her.

"You're not serious."

Twelve seconds later he found himself flat on his back with Clark's boot on his throat.

"Like I said, he's a specialist." Natasha said even as Clark stepped back and helped Clint to his feet.

"I'm impressed. Care for a rematch?"

"Not tonight. Now what good is an arrow if I can't fire it?"

"It's not the arrow. It's what's inside." Clint said, pulling off the arrowhead. Inside was a small chip.

"This delivers an electronic charge. Supposedly it hurts like the Dickens and knocks the person hit with it right on their rear."

"But it's never been tested." Clark surmised, and Clint shrugged.

"There's a reason it's called a field test."

"How do I put it inside of a bullet?"

"You don't." Clint said, reaching over and grabbing a box of ammo.

"I made these for you, just in case." He told Natasha, who nodded. She hated the idea of having to shoot Clint, but if she had to, she could.

"Thank you. I owe you one." Clark said, and Clint shook his head.

"My sister is happier than I've ever seen her. You never owe me a thing." He replied, shaking Clark's hand. Not a word was said about the fact that they had shown up mere moments after he and Natasha had hung up. And as far as Clint Barton was concerned, that was the way it would stay.

**Natasha and Skye's Apartment- 1:10 a.m.**

"Did you get it?" Skye asked after Clark had set Natasha down.

"Yeah. We got it." Natasha said, holding up the case of ammo.

"Good. Now I am going to get some sleep." Skye said before heading off to her room.

"I should let you get some rest too." Clark said, and Natasha smiled.

"I sleep better when you're with me."

Not five minutes later, the two were asleep in Natasha's room.

**Bob Rickman's Campaign Office- The Next Evening**

Natasha walked quietly into the office, seeing that Rickman hadn't even noticed she'd entered. Good. That would make things easier. She pushed all thoughts of Clark from her mind, choosing instead to double-check that the silencer was attached to her gun. It wouldn't do for her to think about how nice it felt to wake up in his arms, or how he had wanted to be the one to shoot Rickman. However, she had pointed out that someone needed to stay at the farm in case Rickman showed up, and seeing as Jonathan Kent basically hated her guts, there was only one choice.

She walked up quietly behind the man, placing her gun in the small of his back. He flinched, and she smacked him upside the head.

"Don't turn around. Just shut up and listen. Stay away from Jonathan Kent. Otherwise, I'll come back. And you will die."

She shot him in the foot, smiling as he seized up and then fell unconscious. The message had been delivered. It was up to Rickman to decide what happened next.

**Luthor Mansion- 9 p.m.**

"Bob. I wasn't aware we had a meeting." Lex said as Rickman walked into the room.

"We don't. I just wanted you to give your friend Clark a message for me."

"You could always give it to him yourself." Lex replied, and Rickman smirked.

"I could. But I received a message of my own last night." He said, indicating his bandaged foot.

"Someone shot you? Shame they didn't shoot you in the head." Lex said, and Rickman just glared.

"The point is that whoever it was that held me at gunpoint made it perfectly clear what would happen if I went after the Kent farm. So just tell Clark that I'm moving on."

"I never thought I'd see the day Bob Rickman admitted defeat."

"Well it's here. I'll be gone tomorrow." He said, walking over and extending his hand.

Lex just looked at it, as though worried he would catch some sort of incurable disease.

"Come on Lex. It's just a handshake."

Lex shook his hand, not seeing the grin on Rickman's face. His powers had been on the fritz ever since that mystery woman showed up and shot him, but now it looked like he was back in business.

"Lex, I want you to find Clark Kent and kill him. And then I want you to tell Jonathan that this is what happens when someone defies me. Then kill him, and last but certainly not least...kill yourself."

**Kent Farm- 10 p.m.**

"Lex." Jonathan said when Lex knocked on the door.

"Mr. Kent. Is Clark home?" He asked, just as Clark came down the stairs.

"Lex. What's going on?"

"Not much." He replied before pulling out a gun.

"What-"

Jonathan's words were cut off as Lex moved the weapon towards Clark and pulled the trigger. The young man watched as the bullet moved toward him, catching it in his left hand and throwing it into Lex's head. The billionaire fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Clark, what the devil-"

"I'll explain in a minute." He said, pulling out his phone.

"He didn't get the message."

**Two Days Later- Natasha's Apartment**

"So Rickman's in jail, and Kyle is meeting with Colson. Sounds like a win all around." Clark said, and Natasha nodded absentmindedly.

"I guess. How did your parents take the news?"

"Well after yelling at me for like ten minutes, and telling me never to keep things from them again they told me to tell you thanks."

"Really?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Really."

Natasha grinned. It might not be much, but she would take it. Clark was right. It was most definitely a win all around.

**Location- Unknown**

"We have a problem."

The man looked up at his associate, simply waiting for him to speak.

"Someone has been taking credit for your work."

"Who?" The assassin asked coldly.

"All I have is a name. Jason Bourne."

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review, and the next chapter will be up soon!**


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